“It helps protect the historical buildings, archaeological sites, museum collections, and traditional cultural expressions like Indigenous arts and crafts and languages around the world,” the US embassy in Pakistan said. The authorities stated that the aid had been stopped at the executive orders of President Donald Trump for revaluation.
As a result of this, five major energy projects in Pakistan include the Power Sector Improvement Activity, Pakistan Private Sector Energy Activity, Energy Sector Advisory Services Projects, Clean Energy Loan Portfolio Guarantee Program, and Pakistan Climate Financing Activity.
Apart from this, the US has also stopped aid to other countries including Israel, Egypt, Thailand, and Ukraine which have raised alarming concerns due to the shortage of funds. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the development and stated that only emergency food and military aid to Israel and Egypt would be exempted. He stated that Trump has issued executive orders to halt US aid to worldwide countries for 90 days. During this period, the state would have time to review which of the thousands of humanitarian, development, and security programs would keep getting money from the US.
It is crucial to note that US funding is the largest foreign assistance worldwide providing 4 out of 10 dollars for humanitarian aid. The US government has placed more than 50 officials who work for the US Agency for International Development on leave. It is alleged that these officials were helping the organizations deal with the freeze and defying the orders issued by Trump.
The country earlier believed that assisting foreign countries aided in strengthening national security and improving international relations. It helped several organizations like the OCCRP which targeted India and the Adani Group several times in the past. However, the current administration led by Trump believes that much of such aid money should be used for development at home. The state will now re-evaluate the humanitarian aid in 90 days and make decisions to corner funds accordingly.
While the country of Pakistan which has already been facing dire economic conditions for the past few months, has expressed dissatisfaction over the US decision, the Ukraine said its military assistance remains unaffected. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the matter and said that the current US freeze of funds doesn’t affect its vital support in fighting Russia.
“Neither of the Defense Department programs is directly affected by the freeze. But civilian programs vital to Ukraine’s war effort do come from the State Department. There’s no word of exemptions for them. That includes salary support that the US provides to keep Ukraine’s government running despite the war’s damage to the economy,” Zelenskyy said.
However, notably, the US has issued a stop-work notice to wartime civilian programs including an NGO named Veteran Hub that helps war veterans overcome social and psychological instability. The NGO now says that it could lose more than 30 staff members as a result of the US action. It also adds that no notice of the funds’ stoppage was issued by the country.
The US funds stoppage has meanwhile affected several NGOs in Zimbabwe and West Africa. As per the reports, the USAID helped West Africa recover from years of vicious wars. The money helped schools run, supported girls’ education, facilitated health systems, and helped small flowers.
Also, the temporary stoppage of funds has affected several medical and refugee camps in Thailand that provide shelter to more than lacs from Myanmar. Refugee camps sheltering Rohingyas in Bangladesh are also affected. The NGO working for these people stated that a waiver for food and emergency medical aid has been approved but fixing homes for refugees won’t be possible if the funds are stopped permanently. India has in the past few years faced the problem of illegal immigration of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis.
The newly-inaugurated Trump administration’s stringent approach towards deporting illegal immigrants from the United States and meticulous efforts to enhance border security, expedite the removal of illegals, and enforce border laws have intrigued the world.
From conducting raids to identify illegal immigrants to ensuring that illegals are accepted back by their native countries, the US administration has made Indians particularly question why India does not deport illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants as aggressively and effectively as the US.
Notably, Rohingya refugee camps have been strongly suspected of being breeding grounds for radicalization and terror activities. Rohingyas have been arrested in the past for involvement in human trafficking. They have been arrested for involvement in dacoities. Rohingyas are known to have committed massacres of Hindus. It is undeniable that the illegal Rohingya infiltrators are a security threat to India contrary to the Islamo-leftist cabal’s constant efforts at whitewashing the involvement of the members of this community in criminal activities. A detailed account of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi immigrants’ illegal activities can be read here.
While the process of identification and deportation of illegal immigrants in India is not stagnant, the country grapples with multi-faceted challenges in deporting illegals. Amid this, the US is taking faster steps to re-evaluate its decision to provide funds to NGOs that work to fix illegal immigrants’ lives, waiving basic aid like food and medicines.
Atul Gawande, former head of global health at USAID who left the organization recently meanwhile said that the decision taken by the state to stop USAID is catastrophic and that the cut of funds will affect 6.5 million orphans and vulnerable children with HIV in 23 countries.
USAID supported a media project that targeted India and the Adani Group
It is crucial to note that the USAID also supported media organizations and projects like the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) which had previously targeted India and the Adani Group. It was reported how USAID assisted the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project with $1.7 million of aid.
OCCRP brands itself as an independent organization but receives a huge share of funding from the US Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Since its inception, OCCRP, which published a hit piece on Adani has received at least $47 million from the US government, $14 million from European countries (Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, and France), and 1.1 million from the European Union.
OpIndia had also previously reported how USAID, which funds OCCRP, had been at the helm of a ‘regime change’ operation in India’s neighboring country of Bangladesh. The controversial United States Agency for International Development (USAID) signed an agreement to provide $202 million (~2414 crore Taka) to the interim government in Bangladesh, led by ‘American asset‘ Muhammad Yunus. The objective ‘on paper’ behind the financial aid is supposedly to empower youth, strengthen democracy and governance, and bring about development in Bangladesh.
Driving greater prosperity: @USAID signed an agreement worth over $200 million with the Bangladesh interim government to advance development, empower youth, strengthen democracy & governance, improve health and expand trade & economic opportunities to people across the country. pic.twitter.com/Gs76bY76Ch
— USAID Bangladesh (@USAID_BD) September 15, 2024
Controversial track record of USAID in Nicaragua and Venezuela
According to a research report published by the Council of Hemispheric Affairs, USAID interference led to the 2018 uprising in Nicaragua. An extraordinary leaked document revealed the US government’s plan to interfere with the internal affairs in Nicaragua before and after the 2021 presidential election.
The 14-page extract of a much longer document outlined a contract of USAID to create “the environment for Nicaragua’s transition to democracy.” William Grigsby from Radio La Primerisima revealed the plan in the document that described how USAID worked with various NGOs, think tanks, media organizations, and human rights bodies to support opposition to the Ortega government.
To support and justify the interference by the US body, the document misrepresented historical events such as claims that the Sandinista party manipulated the elections even though the Organization of American States (OAS) acknowledged there were only minor irregularities. Furthermore, it also rewrote the 2018 uprising narrative ignoring the fact that the opposition indulged in violence and economic disruption.
The US has a long history of interventions in Nicaragua dating back to 1856. The existence of such documents that revealed the plan of the US’s intervention was not surprising. USAID also has a long history of meddling with Venezuela’s internal affairs. According to a 2019 report in People’s World, USAID aligned closely with the National Endowment of Democracy in “Transition Initiatives” to promote the foreign policy goals of the US. The organization has been an integral part of US efforts to organize humanitarian aid convoys to Venezuela which aligned with the political agenda of the US administration and then-interim president Guaido. As reported, USAID and NED funded opposition groups extensively and the former’s operations often blended humanitarian aid with political motives.
The State Department said on Sunday, opens a new tab that the US government must refocus on American national interests in its role as steward of taxpayer dollars. “President Trump stated clearly that the United States is no longer going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people. Reviewing and realigning foreign assistance on behalf of hardworking taxpayers is not just the right thing to do, it is a moral imperative,” the State Department said.
