NEW DELHI: US aid and military assistance for Pakistan has plummeted from more than $2.2 billion a year during the period immediately after the 9/11 terror attacks to a little more than $500 million in 2017 and is set to fall further next year, reflecting the strain in ties between the two sides.
The total civilian and military assistance for 2017 was estimated at $526 million, a steep fall from the figures of the past decade. The total assistance in 2018 is expected to be even lower – $345 million, including $134 million in security-related assistance and $211 million in economic aid, according to figures collated by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Despite a sharp dip in relations following the killing of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad in 2011, US assistance increased over the next two years to a little more than $2.6 billion a year before falling rapidly.
During the period between 2002 and 2011, the total aid — including economic support funds, foreign military financing, Coalition Support Fund reimbursements and anti-terrorism funding – was worth a total of $22.14 billion.
This included $8.8 billion in reimbursements from the CSF and a total of $5.7 billion in security-related aid. The CSF is used to reimburse Pakistan for logistical and operation support for US-led military operations in Afghanistan. The killing of Osama in a compound located close to a military academy had a significant impact on funding from the CSF.