US approves $300 mn in aid for Pakistan

President George W Bush has cleared the way for $299 million in security aid for Pakistan, the White House said.

President George W Bush has cleared the way for $299 million in security aid for Pakistan, the White House said.

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Bush made the money available by waiving restrictions that Congress levelled against Pakistan after President Gen Pervez Musharraf seized power in 1999 in a bloodless military coup.

Bush has repeatedly waived the restrictions.

The White House said on Tuesday the money will help US efforts to prevent acts of international terrorism and encourage the transition to democracy in Pakistan.

Pakistan is a key Washington ally that supported the US-led war that ousted the Taliban in Afghanistan.