US will continue to help Pakistan rebuild economy

The United States has assured Pakistan that it would continue to support Islamabad’s efforts to strengthen its economy and deal with the consequences of last year’s devastating floods. State Department spokesperson Ned Price at a Monday afternoon news briefing also urged Pakistan to continue with the economic reforms it promised to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) while indicating that the US support to Islamabad was not conditional. He also announced an additional $100 million of recovery and reconstruction funding, bringing the total US contribution to Pakistan’s relief funds to over $200m. But when a journalist asked if this aid was contingent on continued economic reforms in Pakistan, the US official said: “This is ultimately a decision for the IMF, (but) we of course want to see Pakistan continue down the path of reform.”