Former US NSA McMaster: Administration Stopped Sending Aid to Pakistan Due to ISI’s Connection with Terrorists

Former US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster revealed that Donald Trump’s administration stopped security aid to Pakistan due to the ISI’s complicity with terrorist groups. Despite internal resistance from the State Department and Pentagon, McMaster intervened to enforce Trump's directive, halting a $150 million military aid package to Islamabad.

 The former US National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster has disclosed that the Trump administration stopped the aid to Pakistan because of the “incontrovertible link” between the Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the terrorist organizations. Speaking in his new book At War with Ourselves: In My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, McMaster described how the US government opposed Trump’s decision to stop aid to Pakistan unless they stopped supporting terrorists. 

 McMaster said that Trump was clear in his instructions but Mattis was preparing to send $150 million military aid to Islamabad including armored vehicles. But McMaster did not allow it to happen, he made sure that the aid was prevented from reaching the intended targets. The former NSA noted that Trump was clear on Pakistan and kept on stressing that he will not give any money to Pakistan until the latter stops harboring terrorists who attack US and Afghan security forces. 

 McMaster also mentions in his book that there were internal debates regarding the possibility of Pakistan’s retaliation. However, the shipment was stopped and Trump directly accused Pakistan of deceit in the New Year’s Day tweet where he said that Pakistan has been taking money from the US but giving nothing but lies in return. 

 Also Read: Trump Attacks Kamala Harris for Neglecting Migrant Children, Many of Them Are Missing or Exploited

 The decision to suspend the aid was one of the key components of Trump’s South Asia strategy that was designed to force Pakistan to stop supporting the militants. But McMaster pointed out that Pakistan’s behavior did not change and continued to support terrorism, for instance, the release of Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack, proved that ISI was still involved with terrorist groups.