John Kerry denies giving clean chit to Pak on terror outfits
07 Jan 2015
Just ahead of US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to India, his spokesperson clarified on Tuesday that he has not issued any certificate to the Congress on the progress made by Pakistan in taking action against terrorist groups.
Earlier reports emerging from Pakistan claimed that the US Congress had cleared $532 million due to the country in held-back aid under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Act, which demands certification on action against the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad before the funds are released.
"No certification has been sought for funds to Pakistan, and no funds disbursed since 2013," state department spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a daily briefing.
Earlier news reports quoted the Associated Press of Pakistan and an official Pakistan government release to say that $532 million had been cleared, as purportedly disclosed by US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
In Delhi, the ministry of external affairs had criticised the reported certification that cleared the aid to Pakistan.
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