The US has briefly halted foreign assistance to Pakistan for reconsideration after a presidential executive order by President Donald Trump, a report by the Geo News said Tuesday.
The suspension has immediately halted numerous vital USAID projects working in Pakistan that included the AFCP, known as the flagship program to strengthen cultural heritage preservation and protection, the report added.
The US embassy here said the AFCP fund "helps protect historic buildings, archaeological sites, museum collections, and traditional cultural expressions like indigenous languages and crafts around the world."
The report quoted an unnamed official at the US Consulate in Karachi: "The United States has halted Pakistan's foreign assistance for review under the executive order issued by President Donald Trump.".
According to the report, five projects related to the energy sector have also been affected due to this decision.
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.
Four projects relating to economic growth have also been affected. Among them, Social Protection Activity was the only programme that was supposed to be completed 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.
The total value of the involved projects is not known because it has not been stated as of now how much annual aid the US is pumping into Pakistan.
Thus 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.
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