Starting from next year, Pakistan may experience a significant cut in the aid given to it by the United Kingdom, a local news outlet reported on Thursday.
The speculation comes amid the changing global political situation, including Brexit, and Daily Mail’s recent report which accused Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif of embezzling funds given to Pakistan for the rehabilitation of earthquake victims.
It is worth noting that the British Parliament will probe Department for International Development’s a (DFID) aid programme for Pakistan and the latter’s spending of the funds in wake of the British newspaper’s report.
Reportedly, there is internal pressure on Britain to cut aid for other countries amid speculation that Brexit would worsen the economic situation and will lead to an increase in poverty. The decision of cutting international aid appears to be an attempt to control a possible economic crisis. However, the final decision will be taken next year when the inquiry into the aid programme has been completed.
It is pertinent to mention here that UK already decreased its aid for Pakistan by 23 million pounds to 302 million pounds compared to last year’s 325 million pounds.
The International Development Committee had already been thinking about bringing its aid programme in coordination with its aims and objectives and for this purpose it would investigate whether those objectives were achieved or not in order to make a decision next year.
It may be mentioned here that no other country faces the same investigation at the moment. Reportedly, there is significant pressure from right-wing groups to probe UK’s international spending amid reports of corruption and embezzlement in aid money in the developing countries.
