WASHINGTON (SW): A number of Afghan-Americans gathered in front of Pakistani embassy in Washington D.C. to protest against Islamabad’s role in fueling terrorism in Afghanistan.
Member of the Afghan diaspora community gathered in front of the Pakistan Embassy on Friday and chanted slogans: “Stop killing innocent Afghans and the US soldiers”; “No more US taxpayers’ money for Pakistan’s support of Taliban and Al-Qaeda”, “ISI must stop the export of terrorism to Afghanistan”.
The latest string of terrorist attacks in the Afghan capital Kabul and other cities have widely been condemned by the international community. The Afghan government dispatched a high-level delegation headed by the Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani to convey a strong message to Islamabad that Pakistan must eliminate support and sanctuaries to the militants that wage war in Afghanistan.
Organised by the local community, the protesters urged upon the US Congress to curb funding to Pakistan. It is vital to note that on Tuesday (August 11), the United States indicated to Pakistan that further extension in the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) beyond 2015 may not be possible. "We implore the government of Pakistan to take a stand against terrorism and end its duplicitous actions that have cost thousands of Afghan and American lives, as well as billions of international aid dollars", it said.
Under the CSF arrangement, the US reimbursed Pakistan for operations and maintenance costs incurred in direct support of its operations in Afghanistan. Since 2001, the US has reimbursed $13 billion to Pakistan, which is the largest recipient of the fund.
The issue about the future of CSF, according to a defense source, was discussed at the 23rd Defence Consultative Group Meeting (DCG)-Interim Progress Review (IPR) held at the defense ministry on Tuesday. Principal Deputy Secretary of Defense Ms Kelly Magsamen led the US delegation comprising officials of the defense and state departments, Dawn news reported.
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