US blocks $350mn aid to Pak for failing to act against Haqqani network

The Pentagon's decision came ahead of a review of US policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan. As a result of the notification by Defence Secretary James Mattis to Congress, the Department of Defence has reprogrammed remaining Coalition Support Funds, which is $350 million, to other accounts, Defence Department Spokesman Adam Stump said. "Secretary Mattis has informed congressional defence committees that he was not able to certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient actions against the Haqqani Network to permit full reimbursement of Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Coalition Support Funds (CSF)," Stump said.Pakistan-based Haqqani network is blamed for a number of high-profile attacks on US and Western interests in war-torn Afghanistan.

The terror group is also blamed for several deadly attacks against Indian interests in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul that killed 58 people. This is for the second consecutive year that the US Defence Secretary has refused to certify to Congress, as mandated under National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), that Pakistan has taken satisfactory action against the Haqqani network. The group is believed to be based in the unruly tribal regions of Pakistan, near the porous border with Afghanistan.

As authorised by the US Congress in its NDAA, the Department of Defence reimbursed $550 of $900 million to Pakistan early this year. Mattis' predecessor Ashton Carter was the first US Defence Secretary to refuse that certification. "The funds ($350 million) could not be released to the Government of Pakistan at this time because the secretary could not certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network as per the requirement in the FY 2016 NDAA," Stump said.

"Pakistan has been reimbursed $550 million of the $ 900 million the country was authorised in FY16 CSF. With the Secretary's decision, there is no additional FY16 CSF available to Pakistan,"

he added.