US Aid to Pakistan Ineffective

A new U.S. government report says U.S. aid to Pakistan is not meeting its goals.

The report says little has been achieved since 2009, when Congress set aside $7.5 billion for programs to help civilians in Pakistan. The money is meant to be used over five years to develop Pakistan's infrastructure by building roads, bridges and power plants to provide electricity.

The report, which was released by the Inspectors General for the U.S. State Department, Defense Department and Agency for International Development (USAID), cites a number of reasons why the aid has proved ineffective. It says problems with staffing the programs, a hostile security environment and – in one case – fraud, have led to programs not being implemented.

The report says aid programs are understaffed by 20 percent – making oversight, implementation and measuring success difficult.

Commenting on the report Monday, USAID said that the implementation of U.S. civilian assistance programs in Pakistan "continues to face challenges."

The agency cited continued security threats in Pakistan, the effects of last year's unprecedented flooding in the country and the death of Richard Holbrooke.

The veteran diplomat was serving as the Obama administration's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan when he died in December.