US cuts Pak aid by $ 10 million to help Ukraine

A key Congressional committee has slashed USD 10 million in American aid given to Pakistan which will now be used to extend fresh financial assistance to crisis-hit Ukraine. The USD 10 million taken from the annual USD 1.5 billion aid to Pakistan would be used to carry out programming in the Ukrainian, Balkan, Russian, and Tatar language services of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty and Voice of America, the House Bill said.
The legislation – HR 4278, the Ukraine Support Act – was passed yesterday by an overwhelming bipartisan support by the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee. Introduced last week by the committee Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel, it promotes Ukraine’s sovereignty and democratic institutions while sanctioning those who have sought to undermine it’s independence and stability. The issue of moving funds from the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Bill – which is officially known as the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009 – was raised during the mark up of the bill by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. (PTI)