PENTAGON CANCELS $300 MILLION AID TO PAKISTAN

WASHINGTON : The US military said it has made a final decision to cancel $300 million in aid to Pakistan that had been suspended over Islamabad's perceived failure to take decisive action against militants.

The so-called Coalition Support funds [CSF] were part of a broader suspension in aid to Pakistan announced by President Donald Trump at the start of the year-

When he had accused Pakistan of rewarding past assistance with  ''nothing but lies and deceits''.

The Trump administration says Islamabad is granting safe haven to insurgents who are waging a war in Afghanistan, a charge Pakistan denies.

US  defence secretary Jim Mattis had an opportunity to authorize $300 million in CSF if he saw concrete Pakistani actions to go after insurgents. Mattis chose not to, a US official told Reuters.

''Due to a lack of Pakistan decisive actions in support of the South Asia Strategy, the remaining  $300 million was reprogrammed,'' said Pentagon spokesman Colonel Kone Faulkner.

He said the Pentagon aimed to spend the $300 million on  ''other urgent priorities''  if approved by Congress.

He said another  $500  million had been stripped from Pakistan by Congress earlier this year. bringing the total withheld fund to $800 million.

The disclosure came ahead of an expected visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the top US military officer, Joseph Dunford, to Islamabad. [Reuters].