The White House on Thursday decided to impose a freeze on all security aid to Pakistan in response to the South Asian country’s refusal to quell terrorist groups, The New York Times reported Thursday.
The decision could suspend annual aid worth approximately $1.3 billion, which includes $1.1 billion in Coalition Support Funds the Defense Department provides to help cover counterterrorism-related costs in Pakistan.
The suspension includes a freeze on the delivery of U.S. military equipment to Pakistan but will not affect civilian support programs in the country.
“Pakistan has the ability to get this money back in the future, but they have to take decisive action,â€Â said Heather Nauert, a spokeswoman for the State Department.
The State Department on Thursday also included Pakistan on a watch list of countries for religious freedom violations.
The measures came three days after President Donald Trump said in a Twitter post Monday that Pakistan offered a “safe haven†for terrorists that U.S. forces crack down in Afghanistan, the report added.
