The Pakistani Slush Fund
The current administration demands that funds used to combat AIDS in Africa not be used to purchase condoms or educate on their use. The current administration demands that funds sent to Pakistan to combat Islamic militants ... oh, wait: there are no demands. We send a billion dollars a year in military aid to General Pervez Musharraf with no strings attached, according to an article in today's Los Angeles Times.
With the Pakistani government in turmoil, senior Pentagon officials are quietly moving to overhaul the system of massive U.S. military aid to the country by more directly tying the payments to Islamabad's success in combating Islamic militants.
Defense Department officials also want to require detailed accounting of how Pakistan spends about $1 billion in annual payments and greater control by Washington over spending. ...
In more traditional military aid programs, U.S. aid is subject to a series of legislative controls that occasionally require presidential action for money to be released. By contrast, the post-Sept. 11 Coalition Support Funds have few reporting requirements, beyond the claims submitted by the Pakistanis.
"Backdoor subsidies is what it can look like to some more skeptical observers, because there hasn't been good oversight and the amounts involved have been so great," said a government official who tracks military payments to Pakistan. "There is suspicion that it's a slush fund." ...
The questions about accountability for the program come amid concerns about U.S. aid to Pakistan spent on weaponry and equipment that U.S. military and intelligence officials have said seem ill-suited to fight the militants. [Emphasis added]
In other words, Congress is writing blank checks at the rate of a billion dollars a year on the basis of invoices submitted that state only "this is how much money we spent last quarter." There has been no real oversight by the Pentagon to confirm the money has indeed been spent in the GWOT on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The article states that the Pentagon is pretty sure the money isn't being used on weaponry to be used against citizens currently protesting the Musharraf regime because the military hasn't been engaged, merely the police and paramilitary groups.
Of course, all of this fits neatly into the new paradigm imposed by Mr. Bush and his cohort. We must put extensive restrictions on money used to save lives. On money used to take lives, eh, not so much.
With the Pakistani government in turmoil, senior Pentagon officials are quietly moving to overhaul the system of massive U.S. military aid to the country by more directly tying the payments to Islamabad's success in combating Islamic militants.
Defense Department officials also want to require detailed accounting of how Pakistan spends about $1 billion in annual payments and greater control by Washington over spending. ...
In more traditional military aid programs, U.S. aid is subject to a series of legislative controls that occasionally require presidential action for money to be released. By contrast, the post-Sept. 11 Coalition Support Funds have few reporting requirements, beyond the claims submitted by the Pakistanis.
"Backdoor subsidies is what it can look like to some more skeptical observers, because there hasn't been good oversight and the amounts involved have been so great," said a government official who tracks military payments to Pakistan. "There is suspicion that it's a slush fund." ...
The questions about accountability for the program come amid concerns about U.S. aid to Pakistan spent on weaponry and equipment that U.S. military and intelligence officials have said seem ill-suited to fight the militants. [Emphasis added]
In other words, Congress is writing blank checks at the rate of a billion dollars a year on the basis of invoices submitted that state only "this is how much money we spent last quarter." There has been no real oversight by the Pentagon to confirm the money has indeed been spent in the GWOT on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The article states that the Pentagon is pretty sure the money isn't being used on weaponry to be used against citizens currently protesting the Musharraf regime because the military hasn't been engaged, merely the police and paramilitary groups.
Of course, all of this fits neatly into the new paradigm imposed by Mr. Bush and his cohort. We must put extensive restrictions on money used to save lives. On money used to take lives, eh, not so much.
Labels: Foreign Aid, Pakistan
posted by Diane at 4:23 AM
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