Biden upholds ban on defense aid to Pakistan via Trump

New Delhi, May 25, 2021, Tuesday

The Pentagon has said it will continue to suspend US aid to Pakistan. US President Joe Biden has sealed the deal.

In other words, Bide has pushed ahead with the policy of his predecessor, Donald Trump. However, it is not clear at this stage whether the Biden government will change its attitude towards Pakistan in the future. In 2018, then-President Donald Trump banned all security assistance to Pakistan, saying the United States was not satisfied with Pakistan's role in the fight against terrorism and its cooperation.

Meanwhile, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told a news conference today that US aid to Pakistan was still under ban. I don't want to say anything about whether that will change going forward.

Kirby was asked if President Biden's government had reviewed the previous government's policy on the issue, whether any changes had been made, and whether there had been any discussions with the Pakistani leadership on the issue. Earlier, Defense Minister Lloyd Austin held talks with Pakistan's Army Chief General Bajwa. The two talked about common interests and goals. The Defense Minister praised Pakistan's cooperation in the peace process in Afghanistan and expressed the desire for the United States and Pakistan to work together to enhance regional security and stability.

Just a day earlier, US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan met with Moeed Yusuf in Geneva before his Pakistani counterpart. The two sides discussed ways to enhance practical cooperation with each other and to further the dialogue in the future.

Commenting on the meeting, Pakistan said that the two sides had positive discussions on a number of bilateral and global issues and it was also decided that the two countries would enhance cooperation with each other.