Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner (Photo: AFP)

The US has been pushing Pakistan to crack down on militant safe havens in Pakistan, and announced a freeze on aid at the beginning of the year. Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner said the Pentagon aimed to spend the 300 million USD on other urgent priorities if approved by Congress. He said another $500 million of aids were stripped by Congress from Pakistan earlier this year, to bring the total withheld to $800 million.