US suspends aid to Pakistan, leaving key development and health projects in limbo

The United States has confirmed it has suspended aid to Pakistan, putting several key development, health, and other projects on hold. According to a US official, the aid will remain halted until a comprehensive review is conducted. As a result, work on five energy sector projects has been suspended, along with four economic development programs and five agriculture-related initiatives. Additionally, aid for human rights and governance projects has been temporarily halted.

The suspension, which will last for 90 days, could potentially resume once the review process by US authorities is completed.

This move is part of a broader shift in US foreign aid policy. Earlier, the US government froze virtually all foreign aid, making exceptions only for emergency food assistance and military funding for Israel and Egypt. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an internal memo following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, outlining an “America First” policy that calls for tightly restricting overseas assistance.

The memo instructed that no new funds would be allocated for new awards or extensions of existing projects without undergoing a thorough review process. This sweeping directive affects all forms of US assistance, including development aid and military funding. Notably, it also includes a pause on US support for PEPFAR, the anti-HIV/AIDS initiative, which provides vital medications to millions in developing countries, mainly in Africa.

Despite the broad cuts, certain exceptions were made, including for military assistance to Israel, which has seen increased arms packages following the Gaza war, and to Egypt, a longstanding recipient of US defence aid due to its peace treaty with Israel. Rubio also made an exception for US contributions to emergency food assistance, responding to global crises in countries like Sudan and Syria.