A consistent, organized propaganda has been ongoing for the past two decades concerning Pakistan, claiming that “Pakistan and the Pakistan Army fight America’s war for dollars,” that “Pakistan is a slave of the US,” and that “generals gorge themselves on dollars.”
This narrative has been repeatedly pushed by specific circles both within and outside the country. However, official US government figures have now surfaced, exposing the complete reality and utterly demolishing this propaganda.
US Aid: The Official Figures
The latest reports from the US Congressional Research Service and the USAID “Green Book” clearly outline the facts.The reports indicate that the top 10 recipients of US economic and military aid from 1946 to 2024 include Israel, Egypt, Afghanistan, South Vietnam, South Korea, Iraq, Ukraine, Jordan, Türkiye, and Vietnam.
Pakistan is nowhere on this list.
Israel received the most, nearly $310 billion.
Egypt received approximately $170 billion.
Afghanistan received about $145 to $160 billion from 2001 to 2021.
Post-War on Terror Aid: The Reality
If we look only at the data for the conflict situation after 2001, Afghanistan remains the largest aid recipient.According to the report from the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), Afghanistan received between $145 and $160 billion in aid just from 2002 to 2021.
In comparison, Pakistan received approximately $14.6 billion under the Coalition Support Fund and a total of about $33 billion including other aid. This means Pakistan received four times less than Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Sacrifices vs. Allegations
Despite allegations from some Afghan circles and anti-Pakistan elements that “Pakistan destroyed Afghanistan by eating dollars,” the facts are the opposite.Pakistan made immense sacrifices in the War on Terror:
Over 80,000 citizens were martyred.
More than 9,000 military personnel were martyred.
The country’s economy suffered a loss of over $130 billion due to terrorism, according to the World Bank’s Economic Survey of Pakistan.
Furthermore, Pakistan gave refuge to over 3.5 million Afghan refugees for decades, for which the global community never fully covered the expenses. These losses and sacrifices were made for national security and the survival of the state, not for “dollar slavery.”
US Aid Suspension and Pakistan’s Stance
The US repeatedly threatened to withhold aid and demanded Pakistan “Do More.” However, the Pakistani Army always formulated its policy according to the national interest.Major operations like Zarb-e-Azb, Radd-ul-Fasaad, and the FATA integration were not about fighting another power’s war; they were decisions made to save the Pakistani state.
The Simple Answer to the ‘Dollar’ Accusation
If the accusation is that “the Army ate the dollars,” the simple answer lies in the American records. The accusers should simply look at the official US government data and see whether $160 billion went to Afghanistan or to Pakistan.
The clear reality is that Pakistan is the country that fought the most expensive war, not financially, but in terms of lives lost, economic damage, and military cost.
Also read: Baloch Praise Pakistan Army for Crushing Terrorism and Defending Nation
