Aid not feasible when trainers are being asked to leave: US

Washington, Jul 12: The US today (Jul 12) said it could not have continued with certain categories of military aid to Pakistan at a time when American trainers, who deliver on the assistance, were being asked to leave the country, justifying its decision to discontinue USD 800 million in aid.

The Obama administration, however, asserted that there was no change in its civilian aid to Pakistan.

"With regard to US military assistance to Pakistan, in certain categories, those categories where we need our trainers to be in-country in order to deliver and train on the assistance, we obviously can't do that in an environment where Pakistan has asked our trainers to go," State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told reporters at her daily news conference.

"Then in other military categories, we have had a slowing and a pause in some categories while we work through some of these issues where we have been concerned," she said in response to questions about US suspending some categories of military aid to Pakistan.

Contradicting Pakistani Army's statement that it was not notified about suspension of aid, Nuland said the Administration has been in constant contact with Islamabad about these issues throughout.

"The Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Mark Grossman, and the Pakistani Ambassador to US, Husain Haqqani, were on the phone even this morning, and those conversations will continue," she said.

Refraining from elaborating on what steps US wants Pakistan to take before the suspension of aid could be lifted, the spokesperson said the US has been looking to improve its cooperation with Pakistan in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.

PTI