The British government has launched an inquiry into the UK’s £302 million aid given to Pakistan and would assess if the aid fulfilled its intended strategic objectives, reported The News. 

A parliament select committee, responsible for the scrutiny of the UK aid, will conduct the inquiry to check the effectiveness of its government development policy towards Pakistan. The committee consists of MPs belonging to different political parties in the UK. 

The controversy over the UK’s aid to Pakistan erupted last year when the Daily Mail published a reporting, alleging millions of Euros of UK’s aid were pocketed by former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaaz Sharif and his family. The PML-N leader refuted the allegation and sued the newspaper. 

“During 2018 and 2019, the UK aid to Pakistan saw 53 percent spent on human development (including health and education), 29 percent on economic development, 10 percent on governance and security, 5 percent on climate and the environment and 3 percent on humanitarian aid,” the report said.

In 2019-20, UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) provided £302 million in aid to Pakistan in the last five years. The country remained the largest beneficiary of DFID in the last five years. 

The Inquiry aims to see whether UK's strategic aims for its Pakistan program are clear and appropriate and if other aspects of the UK-Pakistan relationship are coherent and well-coordinated with the aid program and its aims and objectives.