U.S. aid to Pakistan has totaled $9.6 billion since October 2001, according to State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey.
Casey said Monday that State Department lawyers are examining whether any existing legislation requires suspending aid as a result of the Pakistan government’s recent actions in declaring a state of emergency and suspending the country’s constitution.
The State Department also will review the overall U.S. aid relationship with Pakistan in light of recent events, regardless of legal requirements, Casey said.
“We obviously are going to have to assess what’s happened here, but it’s hard to see how if these measures remain in place, our relationship can stay the same,” Casey told reporters Nov. 5.
A broader discussion on U.S. aid to Pakistan will likely occur in the coming days between and among all the U.S. agencies with a role in aid to the Pakistan government, said Casey, including the State Department, USAID, the Pentagon, and the National Security Council.
Approximately $785 million in additional aid to Pakistan is part of the State Department budget for the current fiscal year, which began last month and runs until September 2008.
Of that amount, $382 million is budgeted for economic support, $300 million for military financing, $39 million for child survival and health, $32 million for narcotics control and law enforcement, $18 million for development assistance, $10.3 million for non-proliferation and anti-terrorism, and $2 million for military training, according to State Department budget documents.