$1 billion assistance to Pakistan proposed in US budget-2015

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is seeking one billion dollars for Pakistan in its budget proposals for fiscal 2015, which were sent to Congress on Tuesday.

The $1bn sought for Pakistan includes $280 million for supporting Pakistani security forces. The rest is economic assistance.

The $3.9 trillion budget package includes $46.2 billion to fund the State Department and US Agency for International Development. US assistance for other countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, comes from this fund.

The budget proposals set aside $5.1bn for programmes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. This too is a significant reduction from previous years.

The Obama administration is seeking $2.6bn for operations in Afghanistan and $1.5bn for Iraq, including $250m to support the Iraqi military.

A document released by the White House describes “responsible transition” from “military missions to political and security support for a unified Afghanistan government” as one of the administration’s main goals in 2015.

The United States plans to withdraw most of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year but intends to keep a small residual force if Kabul signs a bilateral security agreement.

In its budget note, the White House says that it wants the Afghan government to take “full responsibility for its own future” as the US withdraws.