US funding bill proposes to withhold Pakistan aid over Afridi case
Draft 2026 legislation ties part of US aid to Pakistan to the release of Dr Shakil Afridi, sustaining pressure over a long-running diplomatic dispute
A draft US government funding bill for the 2026 fiscal year proposes withholding part of American assistance to Pakistan unless Washington is formally assured that Dr Shakil Afridi has been released from prison.
According to the text of the legislation introduced in the House of Representatives, $33 million of the funds earmarked for Pakistan would be frozen until the US Secretary of State certifies to Congress that Afridi has been freed and cleared of all charges linked to his cooperation with the United States in locating al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
The provision appears in a section dealing with South and Central Asia, grouping Pakistan with countries facing heightened congressional scrutiny over security and human rights concerns. The same section explicitly bars any US funding from being used to assist the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The bill also connects regional funding to broader human rights measures. It directs the State Department to impose visa restrictions on Chinese officials if there is credible evidence of their involvement in serious human rights violations against Tibetans.
Titled the Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026, the legislation was introduced on January 12 by Representative Tom Cole.
It has been referred to the House Committees on Appropriations and the Budget as part of a wider package to finance US government operations through September 30, 2026.
The proposed law covers spending on national security, diplomacy and foreign assistance overseen by the State Department and related agencies. For South and Central Asia, it reflects a continued approach by Congress of attaching political and legal conditions to foreign aid, with Pakistan’s case among the most explicit.
Afridi was jailed in Pakistan after assisting US intelligence in confirming bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad ahead of the 2011 American raid that killed the al-Qaeda chief. His detention has remained a contentious issue in US-Pakistan relations for more than a decade.
US lawmakers have repeatedly used appropriations legislation to restrict or condition aid to Pakistan, citing concerns over counterterrorism cooperation and unresolved bilateral issues, even as Washington maintains strategic engagement with the region.
With IANS inputs