Pakistan submiting exaggerated bills to US: report

Pakistan has been submitting exaggerated and inaccurate bills for the billions of dollars US pays to fight militants along the Afghanistan border,according to a media report.

Pakistan has been submitting exaggerated and inaccurate bills for the billions of dollars US pays to fight militants along the Afghanistan border and the Pentagon has been rejecting 40 per cent of its claims,a media report said today.

The billing spat is proving to be one of the several causes of friction between the two countries that are currently locking horns over American forces secret operation that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.

A report in the Wall Street Journal said today that the US has been rejecting more than 40 per cent of the

claims submitted by Pakistan as compensation for military gear,food,water,troop housing and other expenses.

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The billing spat has exacerbated tensions between the countries,which reached a nadir after the US raided the compound of Osama bin Laden without informing Pakistani authorities, it said.

There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon.

The daily said the records detail USD 3.2 billion in expense claims submitted to the US for operations from January 2009 through June 2010.

According to the documents and interviews with officials,Pakistan has routinely submitted requests that were unsubstantiated,or were deemed by the US to be exaggerated or of little or no use in the war on terror¿underscoring what officials and experts see as a deep undercurrent of mistrust between the supposed allies, the daily said.

For example,the Pakistani army billed the US 50 million dollars for hygiene & chemical expenses,of which the US agreed to pay only USD 8 million,according to records covering January 2009 through June 2010. Pakistans Joint Staff ¿ the countrys top military brass ¿ requested USD 580,000 in 2009 to cover food,medical services,vehicle repair and other expenses,but the US paid nothing, it said.

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In another case,the US paid millions to refurbish four helicopters to help Pakistans army transport troops into battle against Taliban and other militants. But the Pakistanis ended up diverting three of those aircraft to peacekeeping duties in Sudan operations for which Islamabad receives compensation from the United Nations,US officials said.

A senior Pakistani official termed it as detrimental to bilateral trust,the daily reported.

US officials say Pakistani claims have been rejected for a number of reasons,including failure to confirm that expenses were incurred in support of US operations in Afghanistan and the war on terror. Some US officials also fear that some of the aid is being diverted to the border with Pakistans traditional rival,India,it said.

Secret diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show that US officials were taken aback by Pakistani claims as early as 2006,including a USD 26 million charge for barbed wire and pickets,and for almost USD 70 million in radar maintenance although there is no enemy air threat related to the war on terror, The Journal reported.