WASHINGTON—Up to $2 billion in U.S. aid could be affected by President Donald Trump’s suspension of security assistance to Pakistan, which is accused of failing to crack down on Taliban militants targeting U.S. personnel in neighbouring Afghanistan, a senior U.S. administration official said Friday. The administration official said the U.S. may make exceptions to satisfy critical U.S. national security interests. It announced that it was placing Pakistan on a special watch list, pursuant to 2016 legislation. Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia program, said suspension of U.S. security assistance to Pakistan would not torpedo relations but it was a significant step backward. There are risks for Washington, as Pakistan could potentially curtail intelligence co-operation and U.S. supply lines into Afghanistan, he said.

Source: thestar January 05, 2018 20:32 UTC