WASHINGTON: The US Congress has approved a bill that requires Pakistan to cooperate with the Afghan and American forces to act against the Haqqani Network but leaves out Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Washington desires to keep its focus on Afghanistan and encourage Pakistan to cooperate, therefore, delinking an India-specific group with the Haqqani Network could discourage Pakistan from cooperating with the US in the war in Afghanistan.
The approved bill— National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2018—provides about $700 billion for US defence needs in 2018.
The NDA 2018, which was passed on Thursday evening, also provides $700 million for reimbursing Pakistan for monitoring the Pak-Afghan border but withholds half of the amount.
The $350m is conditional on Pakistan’s contributions to the war against terror which will be decided by the US defence secretary.
On Friday, the bill was sent to President Donald Trump for signing it into a law.