Obama signs defence bill; Pak to get $2.3 bn

Washington, Oct 29: President Barack Obama has signed a $680 billion defence budget bill that provides $2.3 billion military assistance to Pakistan.

The bill has been imposed with tough conditions to make sure that the funds are not squandered or diverted.

US President in a statement said, "The Defence Authorisation Bill for 2010 eliminates some of the waste and inefficiency in the defence process that will better protect the nation, troops and save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars."

House Mojority Leader Steny H Hoyer said, "The bill includes a commitment to the stability of Afghanistan and Pakistan, expanded programmes to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of rogue states and terrorists, and a reformed system of defence acquisition to save taxpayer money."

The USD 1.6 billion Coalition Support Fund will be certified by Obama administration before spending the fund.

However, India feels that the US assistance to Pakistan should be more focused on building counter-insurgency capabilities.

OneIndia News