This is a bad week for Pakistan—and it’s still Thursday.
On Monday, President Trump tweeted the U.S. has “foolishly” given the country more than $33 billion in aid over the past 15 years, “and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Then on Thursday the longtime but troublesome U.S. ally, whose relationship with Washington has seen far better days, was placed a on special watch list of countries that severely violate religious freedom.
Then came the big move. Later Thursday Heather Nauert, the U.S. State Department spokeswoman, said the U.S. will suspend most security assistance to Pakistan until Islamabad “takes decisive action” against militant groups that are “destabilizing the region and targeting U.S. personnel.” She did not say how much money was involved, but noted it was a significant figure, and in addition to the $255 million in military aid the U.S. has already withheld. The suspension does not include non-military aid, but it does include about $1.1 billion in funds the U.S. pays Pakistan for the cost of its counterterrorism operations, the so-called Coalition Support Funds.
