Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal told Reuters the country has "taken very stringent steps" against human trafficking and the issue "should not be used for political means to pressurize countries." CIVILIAN AID HANGS IN BALANCEFuture civilian aid hinges on Pakistan's rating in the State Department's 2018 TIP report, an assessment of how more than 180 countries and territories are fighting human smuggling, modern slavery and related issues like child soldiers. A Tier 3 rating assesses that a country does not comply with minimum US standards against human trafficking. He did not confirm, however, that Washington had warned his government about potential aid cuts related to human trafficking. Pakistani officials dismissed the impact of a loss of US civilian aid, most of which flows through non-governmental organizations, on the country's growing economy of nearly $300 billion.

Source: dna April 12, 2018 10:07 UTC