Washington, July 22(ANI): A United States congressional panel has blocked an amendment to a spending Bill that would have banned any assistance to Pakistan in the wake of the raid that killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.
According to the Daily Times, five lawmakers voted yes, but 39 others rejected the measure by Republican Representative Dana Rohrabacher, who described aid to Pakistan as "foolishness" at a time when the US is trying to avoid default on its debt.
The Bill, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, in its current form would still impose tighter controls over aid, making it contingent on measurable progress by Pakistan.
Rohrabacher, a Republican from California, had offered the amendment to the Bill for the fiscal year starting in October that would have barred any US funds to provide assistance to Pakistan.
It would also have affected US aid to Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen and the Palestinian Authority.
US President Barack Obama's administration had recently suspended about one-third of its 2.7 billion dollar annual defence aid to Pakistan.
However, it has assured Islamabad that it is committed to a five-year, 7.5 billion dollar civilian package approved in 2009 that aims to build schools, infrastructure and democratic institutions. (ANI)
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