The US Department of Defence said on Tuesday that it authorised the disbursement of $550 million to Pakistan this year as recognition of the significant sacrifices the Pakistani military has made in the fight against terrorism. The money comes from the Coalition Support Funds (CSF), which reimburses Pakistan for providing logistical, military, and other support to US operations in Afghanistan. The amount was set aside for this purpose in the US fiscal year 2016, which ended on September 30, and covers the services provided from January to June 2015.

"The department recognises the significant sacrifices the Pakistan military has made in the fight against terrorism, and appreciates Pakistan's continued support for transit of material to coalition forces in Afghanistan," said Adam Stump, the US Defence Department spokesman.

This disbursement uses CSF funds that are not restricted by the Secretary of Defence certification of Pakistan's actions on the Haqqani network. In the 2016 US National Defence Authorisation Act, Pakistan was slated to receive up to $900m from the CSF but the disbursement of the remaining $350m will require the secretary of defence to certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani network.

Copyright Independent News Pakistan, 2017