WASHINGTON, May 17: US lawmakers have urged the Obama administration to cut off every cent of its aid to Pakistan but the State Department warned that doing so would jeopardise America’s vital national interests.

The White House has already rejected proposed restrictions on US aid to Pakistan, telling the House Armed Services Committee that President Barack Obama might veto the bill seeking new restrictions.

But since Osama bin Laden’s discovery, and subsequent death in a US raid, in Abbottabad in May last year, the US Congress has turned into a hostile ground for Pakistan. Strong anti-Pakistan sentiments on Capitol Hill have also forced Pakistan’s sympathisers into silence.

After the White House rejected restrictions proposed by the Armed Services Committee, a House subcommittee on foreign affairs swung into action on Wednesday, urging the administration to “cut off” aid to Pakistan.

But US Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Dan Feldman reminded the lawmakers that it’s a dangerous proposition.

“With a population of 190 million people, pockets of extremism, and nuclear capability, a stable and prosperous Pakistan is of critical importance to both our regional strategy and our direct national security interests,” he said.When Congressman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, asked if the US Secretary of State could testify that the government of Pakistan was not helping the Haqqani network, Mr Feldman said the State Department was working on the certification.

Such statements, however, did not dampen lawmakers’ anti-Pakistan sentiments as both Republicans and Democrats ripped into the Obama administration’s request for $2.4 billion for Pakistan.

“Pakistan is like a black hole for American aid,” said Representative Gary Ackerman, a New York Democrat. “Our tax dollars go in, our diplomats go in -- sometimes, our aid professionals go in, sometimes, our hopes go in, our prayers go in.

Nothing good comes out,” he said.

“Since FY 2004, we have sunk $24 billion in foreign assistance to Pakistan. It is hard to fathom how so much money can buy so little.

Waste at this scale requires not only an oblivious body politic and Congress, but a large cadre of government professionals and a horde of contractors,” the congressman added.