War On Terror: US Puts Rider For Aid To Pakistan

Islamabad's efforts in the war against terror are not enough for the US and a Congressional committee has made that extremely evident to Pakistan.

The US will now impose limits on aid to Pakistan. A defence spending bill for the same has been approved by a committee.

The Congressional committee approved the allocation of $1.1 billion to Pakistan next year for its counter-insurgency operations under the bill.

President Barack Obama has been under increasing pressure from the US lawmakers to cut down on US aid to Pakistan, especially as terrorists continue to operate in the country.

This bill also threatens to withhold three-fourth of this budget till the Obama administration reports on how it intends to spend the money.

In a move to bring in more transparency and accountability, the Secretary of Defence will have to provide a report to Congress on a strategy for the use of these funds.

This move also marks the first major approval of Pakistan-related funding by the Congress after the killing of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.