The US defence bill 2017 has recently pledged $900 million to Pakistan in a bid to provide economic assistance to the country as stated by the US National Defence Authorisation Act, or NDAA, for the fiscal year 2017 passed by the House of Representatives on Friday. Some important changes have been made in the defence bill under the supervision of the new President-elect Donald Trump.
US defence bill 2017 to provide aid to Pakistan
The amount pledged by the US requires certification by the Pentagon for Pakistan’s military operations against the Afghanistan’s most wanted terrorist Haqqani network.
“We look forward to working directly with the incoming administration to address the concerns, not just for the DoD. (Department of Defense), but for the government nationwide.”
-Republican Representative Mac Thornberry, chairman the House Armed Services Committee
The present act is a revised version by the Republicans who have omitted the controversial Russell Amendment. The Senate will vote on the bill next week, which is supposed to pass it without any opposition.
The Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain said, the bill “refocuses security assistance to Pakistan on activities that directly support US national security interests” reinforcing the emphasis on the importance of the continuance of cordial ties between Pakistan and America. The Senate will also decide on the amount of $618.7 billion set aside for the Pentagon which is $3.2 billion more than what was requested by the Democrats.
