Washington: A US funding bill for the fiscal year 2026 proposes to withhold a portion of American assistance to Pakistan, according to the text of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives.
The bill says that of the funds made available for Pakistan, $33 million “shall be withheld from obligation” until the Secretary of State reports to Congress that Dr Shakil Afridi “has been released from prison and cleared of all charges relating to the assistance provided to the United States in locating Osama bin Laden.”
The provision appears under a section titled “South and Central Asia,” placing Pakistan alongside Afghanistan and other countries in a region facing close congressional scrutiny over security and human rights concerns.
In the same section, the bill bars any US assistance to the Taliban. It states that “none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act and prior Acts” may be used for assistance to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The legislation also links South Asia to broader human rights enforcement measures. It directs that visa restrictions be applied to Chinese officials when the Secretary of State has “credible information” that such officials were involved in “a gross violation of human rights against the people of Tibet.”
The bill, Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026, was introduced on January 12 by Representative Tom Cole and referred to the House Committee on Appropriations, along with the Committee on the Budget. It forms part of a large consolidated package to fund US government operations through September 30, 2026.
The legislation covers national security, diplomatic operations, and foreign assistance programs administered by the Department of State and related agencies. Regional allocations and restrictions are spread across multiple titles, with additional details referenced in explanatory statements tied to the Act.
For South and Central Asia, the bill reflects a continued approach of attaching political and legal conditions to US assistance. Pakistan’s provision is among the most specific, directly tying the release of funds to a certification by the Secretary of State.
Dr Afridi was detained after helping US intelligence confirm the presence of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad ahead of the 2011 US operation that killed him. His imprisonment has remained a sensitive issue in US-Pakistan relations.
Congress has repeatedly used appropriations legislation to restrict or condition aid to Pakistan, citing concerns over counterterrorism cooperation and unresolved bilateral disputes, even as Washington continues to engage the region on security and stability.
(IANS)
