Australia to stop bilateral aid to Pakistan by next year

Despite anti-India activities persistently carried out by Pakistan, India took its own time to break relations with Pakistan. In fact, such an action was expected from India much earlier.

Sydney (Australia) – Australia will cease all bilateral aid to Pakistan, including support to programmes helping poor women and girls, as the funds were being redirected to meet new commitments in the Pacific, according to the latest Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) report.

The report titled ‘Aid Program Performance Report 2018-19 on Pakistan’ said Pakistan bilateral aid programme will be reduced to 19 million Australian dollars in 2019-20, and will fully phase out during 2020-21.

‘Against this backdrop, the aid program will focus on consolidating the achievements of Australia’s 70-year history of development assistance to Pakistan. Our modest ongoing aid footprint, drawing on funds from our regional and global programs, will centre on a small number of areas where Australia can make the most difference in Pakistan’, the report noted.

The report described the security situation in Pakistan as ‘volatile’ and said tensions between Pakistan and India over Kashmir culminating in military exchanges in February 2019 were high. “There were reductions in violence in Punjab and Sindh provinces, but an increase in terrorist activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan where a number of Australian funded aid programs operate”, it said.