$255 million US aid to Pak with strings attached

Washington: The Trump administration has notified Congress that it will give Pakistan $255 million worth of conditional military assistance if it takes more action against internal terror groups launching attacks on neighbouring Afghanistan, according to a media report.

The Trump administration notified Congress on Wednesday that it was putting $255 million in military assistance to Pakistan into the equivalent of an escrow account that Islamabad can only access if it does more to crack down on internal terror networks launching attacks on neighbouring Afghanistan, the New York Times reported.

An escrow account is an account of conditional deposition where the funds are kept blocked until the pre-agreed conditions are met. According to the report, State Department officials have said Trump’s promised changes will bring “explicit” conditions on military aid.

“Once Pakistan more aggressively pursues the Taliban and Haqqani network, the aid will be released — a determination to be made by secretary of state Tillerson,” officials were quoted by the report as saying.