U.S. Releases $1.6 Billion In Aid To Pakistan

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- The Obama administration has decided to release more than $1.6 billion in aid to Pakistan, a senior administration official said.

The official told CNN foreign affairs reporter Elise Labott that the decision was made because of improved relations over the past year.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was elected in May, is scheduled to meet President Barack Obama at the White House on Wednesday. "The visit will highlight the importance and resilience of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship," a White House statement said.

Tensions with Pakistan escalated after the U.S. military raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011. Pakistan expelled some American military trainers, and some U.S. aid was halted that year.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/19/politics/u-s-pakistan-aid/?sr=google_news&google_editors_picks=true