Islamabad: The United States has stopped over $ 845 million projects in accordance with President Donald Trump’s directive to sweeten US funding for international development (USAID) worldwide.
This sudden suspension stopped the development initiative and endanger the risk of hundreds of Pakistani jobs.
A total of 39 USAID -funded projects were immediately stopped, which influenced areas such as energy, economic development, agriculture, democracy, human rights and public, education, health and humanitarian aid.
In Pakistan, the United States suspended projects worth more than $ 845 million in President Donald Trump’s directive to reduce the financing of the United States projects for International Development (USAID) worldwide.
Sudden suspension stopped the major development initiatives and threatened hundreds of Pakistani jobs.
The US in Pakistan immediately froze 39 main projects of the USAID in various sectors, including energy, economic development, agriculture, democracy, human rights and administration of public, education, health and humanitarian aid.
Many of these initiatives, fully or partially funded by the USAID, will now stop.
The most important suspended projects include the integrated program of strengthening medical systems and the integrated health system program, an initiative of $ 86 million aimed at strengthening Pakistani medical infrastructure.
The Global Supply Chain Program in Health of $ 52 million has been designed to ensure the availability of basic medical needs. In education, the scholarship program of merit and needs worth $ 30.7 million was prepared to support disadvantaged students who are engaged in higher education.
Meanwhile, the inclusive democratic processes and administration were aimed at an initiative of $ 15 million, aiming to increase democratic management and transparency.
The suspension also influenced development efforts in recently merged tribal areas. The program of merged areas of administration for the former FATA, worth $ 40.7 million, worked on improving management and administrative systems.
In addition, the Peace Program in Pakistan worth $ 9 million was suspended, aimed at supporting religious, ethnic and political harmony. Frozen also stopped the program of Pakistani private investments worth $ 43.5 million, which was focused on generating job opportunities.
One of the most important projects is the Rehabilitation project of the Mangla dam, an initiative of $ 150 million necessary for the energy and water security of Pakistan.
The decision to suspend these assistance programs comes in the framework of the wider restructuring of US foreign aid in Trump’s “America First” policy.
The USA, which was founded in 1961 with President John F Kennedy, has long been the cornerstone of the US foreign policy and manages approximately 60% of the country’s assistance budget. In the fiscal year alone, USAID paid global aid of $ 43.79 billion and supported development efforts in more than 130 countries.
However, Trump’s administration is now trying to consolidate the USA to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs aimed at reducing government expenditures and redirecting funds to domestic priorities.
Trump entrusted Elon Muska, a billionaire who is heading for his efforts to reduce the federal government to supervise these reforms of the federal agency.
