美国将暂停对巴基斯坦的安全援助

The US is suspending security assistance to Pakistan in a move that confirms the Trump administration’s harder line towards what it views as one of its most uneven allies.

美国将暂停对巴基斯坦的安全援助。此举证实，特朗普政府对这个被它认为是关系最不对等的盟友之一的国家采取了更强硬立场。

Washington has relied on Pakistan to pursue a host of Islamist militants at home and in neighbouring Afghanistan in past years, but has struggled to maintain trust with the country, where al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden lived until he was killed in an unannounced US raid in 2011.

过去许多年，华盛顿方面一直依靠巴基斯坦追捕位于其境内和邻国阿富汗的伊斯兰主义武装分子，但未能一直维持对巴基斯坦的信任。基地组织(al-Qaeda)领导人奥萨马?本?拉登(Osama bin Laden)曾居住在巴基斯坦，直至死于美国于2011年发起的一次突然袭击。

The move was announced by the state department on Thursday.

美国国务院周四宣布了上述决定。

Thursday’s announcement is likely to jolt and irritate Pakistan’s powerful army, which many people see as the controlling political influence in the country, along with the intelligence agency. Pakistan has regularly denied giving safe haven to groups such as the Taliban and the affiliated Haqqani network, which is blamed for attacks on western and Afghan forces.

这一消息可能会震动并激怒巴基斯坦实力强大的军方，以及该国情报机构。许多人把军方视为巴基斯坦国内的主导性政治力量。巴基斯坦经常否认它为塔利班及其下属的哈卡尼网络(Haqqani network)提供避难所。哈卡尼网络被认为对西方和阿富汗的军队发动了攻击。

The US also placed Pakistan on a “Special Watch List” on Thursday, a designation that carries no penalty but expresses concern that Pakistan fails to safeguard the rights of religious minorities.

周四，美国还把巴基斯坦拉入一份“特别观察名单”，这不会导致任何惩罚，但表达了对于巴基斯坦未能保护宗教少数派权利的担忧。

Heather Nauert, state department spokeswoman, said the suspension in assistance came in addition to the $255m that has already been frozen.

美国国务院女发言人希瑟?诺尔特(Heather Nauert)表示，除了已被冻结的2.55亿美元援助，这次美国还暂停了安全援助。

She said the decision was taken despite a “sustained high-level engagement” by the Trump administration with the government of Pakistan, but that exemptions to the new policy — which prevents delivery of military equipment or transfer of security-related funds to Pakistan — may be made on a case-by-case basis.

她表示，尽管特朗普政府与巴基斯坦政府“维持了高层接触”，仍做出了上述决定，但是，这一阻止对巴基斯坦交付军事装备或转账安全相关资金的新政策，也许会有根据一事一议原则做出例外处理的情况。