The United States administration has quietly started cutting scores of Pakistani officers from coveted training and educational programmes that have been a hallmark of bilateral military relations for more than a decade, according to a Reuters report.
The move, which has not been previously reported, is one of the first known impacts from US President Donald Trumps decision early this year to suspend US security assistance to Pakistan to compel it to crack down on Islamic militants.
The Pentagon and the Pakistani military did not comment directly on the decision or the internal deliberations, but officials from both countries privately criticised the move, as per the report.
US officials were quoted as saying, they were worried that the decision could undermine a key trust-building measure. Pakistani officials warned it could push their military to further look to China or Russia for leadership training.
Dan Feldman, a former US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, called the move very short-sighted and myopic.
This will have lasting negative impacts limiting the bilateral relationship well into the future, Feldman said.
