Clington: Pakistan must act stronger against extremism for US aid

Jul 11, 2011, 20:55 GMT

Washington - Pakistan must act more robustly to combat terrorism and extremism for US military aid to be restored, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday.

'The government of Pakistan must take certain steps, and we have outlined those steps, to ensure that we can deliver all of the military assistance,' Clinton said after meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Clinton did not specify the steps Pakistan must take, but Washington has questioned whether Pakistan is fully committed to the war on terrorism. Those questions escalated after the late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found hiding in a city near Islamabad.

The New York Times reported Saturday that about 800 million dollars of roughly 2 billion dollars in annual military aid from the US to Pakistan was frozen.

Although partners in the war on terrorism, there has also been friction between the two countries. The tensions increased after US commandos raided bin Laden's compound without the knowledge of the Pakistani government.

After the raid, Pakistan requested the US military trainers leave the country. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said part of the suspended aid was connected to the training programme.

Clinton called Pakistan a critical ally in the war on terrorism and said the reason for halting the aid was to 'underscore' the need for mutual cooperation.

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