US temporarily suspends foreign assistance to Pakistan for re-evaluation

The US has temporarily suspended foreign assistance to Pakistan for re-evaluation following an executive order issued by President Donald Trump, according to a media report on Tuesday.

This move has instantly stopped a number of important United States Agency For International Development (USAID) projects in Pakistan, including the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), which is the flagship programme to promote cultural heritage preservation and protection, the Geo News reported.

According to the US embassy here, the AFCP fund "helps protect historic buildings, archaeological sites, museum collections, and traditional cultural expressions like indigenous languages and crafts around the world".

Quoting an unnamed official at the US Consulate in Karachi, the report said the US has paused Pakistan's foreign assistance for re-evaluation as per the executive order issued by Trump.

Five projects related to the energy sector have also come to a halt as a result of this decision, the report said.

They are Power Sector Improvement Activity, Pakistan Private Sector Energy Activity, Energy Sector Advisory Services Project, Clean Energy Loan Portfolio Guarantee Program and Pakistan Climate Financing Activity.

Economic growth-related four projects have also been hit. Among them, Social Protection Activity was the only programme supposed to end in 2025.

The US move also hit many projects related to health, agriculture, livelihood and food security, flood, climate, and education. Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance funds are also hit by Trump's order.

Fears are being expressed that some of these programmes will be shelved forever or at least reduced significantly, according to Geo News.

However, the total value of the affected projects is not known, as it is not clear how much annual aid the US is currently pumping into Pakistan.

So far officials in Pakistan have not confirmed the development and the impact of Trump's executive measures on assistance stoppage to Pakistan.

Last week, without naming any country, Tammy Bruce, spokesman for the US Department of State, in a statement said, "Consistent with President Trump's Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, Secretary Rubio has paused all US foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID) for review."  "As Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, 'Every dollar we spend, every programme we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?'" he said.