If the Western diplomatic sources are to be believed, the Pakistan President has taken the US for a ride by wasting the aid received for the country to join the international drive against terrorism.

According to a report published in the New York Times on Monday, US aid worth over $5 billion meant for the Pakistan army never reached the beneficiaries. The paper reported that instead of utilizing the US funds to maintain over 100,000 Pakistani troops deputed in the strife-torn tribal areas of the country, Pervez Musharraf spent the amount to sustain his government.

At the same time, the newspaper alleged that most of the funds intended to compensate the frontline Pakistani units was siphoned off to procure armaments targeted at India and also to meet the unnecessary expenses incurred by top Pakistani leaders and government officials on fuel, ammo and other wasteful expenditure.

While Pakistanis opposed to the Musharraf’s regime have said that the US should have been more careful while funding operations in the Islamic country, even US officials who have visited the frontier provinces of Pakistan have attacked the President scathingly.

One such US official said that while he found the Pakistani troopers still using World War I gears, there were numerous instances where soldiers deputed in the cooler altitudes were found to be ‘wearing sandals on the ice’. He said all these proved that the country’s leadership was not utilizing the funds for the purpose they were being granted by the US.
 
Citing specific examples, another US official said that although Pakistan had got $55 million for maintaining its helicopters for eight months during 2007, he was surprised to discover that of the total amount, the Pakistani army had received only $25 million for the purpose during entire 2007.

In fact, every year the US gives $5 billion in aid to Pakistan to meet its expenses for its military operations against terrorists. In addition, the US provides another $300 million to Pakistan every year to compensate for equipment and training for the Pakistan army.

Meanwhile, on Thursday last the US Congress has put a ban on the $300 million military aid. At the same time, the allegations has put the Bush administration in a spot as it has been donating generously to Pakistan on the ground that the Islamic nation was a prominent partner in its fight against terrorism.

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