WASHINGTON: The US State Department is seeking funds from Congress to resume its military education and training facilities for Pakistan, says a document released on Tuesday.
In its budget requests for the fiscal year 2021, the department sought a total of $104.9 million for its International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme, informing Congress that IMET “serves as an effective means to strengthen military alliances and international coalitions critical to US national security goals and regional stability”. Out of these $104.9 million, the department is seeking $12.7 million for training military officers from the South and Central Asian region, which includes $3.5 million for resuming this facility for Pakistan.
The budget proposal notes that IMET programmes in South and Central Asia “support the Indo-Pacific Strategy by focusing on professionalising the defence forces of regional partners, emphasising professional military education, respect for the rule of law, human rights, and civilian control of the military”. The facility includes “English language training to improve the ability of partner services to work with the United States,” the note adds.
Although the request includes the entire South and Central Asian region, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal are classified as “priority recipients”. Source dawn.com
Saturday, May 9, 2026
