Trump authorizes resumption of military training programme for Pakistan

• Last month, the State Department had announced the decision to resume Pakistan's participation in IMET.
• However, Wells on Twitter said that the overall security assistance suspension for Pakistan remains in effect.

The United States has authorised the resumption of the International Military Education and Training Program (IMET) for Pakistan.

President Donald Trump authorised the resumption  of IMET 'in order to strengthen military to military cooperation between the two countries and advance US national security', US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells said.

However, Wells on Twitter said that the overall security assistance suspension for Pakistan remains in effect.

To strengthen mil2mil cooperation on shared priorities & advance US national security, @POTUS authorized the resumption of International Military Education and Training #IMET for Pakistan. The overall security assistance suspension for Pakistan remains in effect. AGW

— State_SCA (@State_SCA) January 3, 2020

Last month, the State Department had announced the decision to resume Pakistan's participation in IMET. The decision to resume Pakistan's participation in the IMET underscores warming relations that have followed meetings this year between Trump and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

IMET was a small facet of US security aid programs for Pakistan worth some $2 billion that remain suspended on orders that Trump abruptly issued in January 2018 to compel the nuclear-armed South Asian nation to crackdown on Islamist militants.