U.S. payments to Pakistan scrutinized

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Pakistan's impending government change means closer scrutiny of how millions in U.S. aid to the country's military is spent, it was reported Thursday.

The U.S. Defense Department has doled out about $6 billion to Pakistan in the past six years, based on documentation the Pakistani Defense Ministry presents monthly to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, The Washington Post reported.

With Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's political party taking a beating in this week's parliamentary elections, the spigot is being watched more closely, if not turned off, the Post said. Washington recently delayed payment of about $78 million out of $360 million for the March-June 2007 quarter.

"Padding? Sure. Let's be honest, we're talking about Pakistan, which has a legacy of corruption," said U.S. official familiar with the situation.

It's money well spent, particularly when compared to the cost of the war in Iraq, the official and some analysts say.

"My sense is that the Pakistani military would not be out on the border if not for the Coalition Support Funds," Craig Cohen of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Post.

But a congressional oversight subcommittee is to start investigating the spending next month, while the Government Accountability Office is to wrap up its own inquiry in April.