US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday played down talk of cutting aid to Pakistan in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, saying now was the time to "withhold judgment," not money.
"Right now, we're at a very difficult time. We need to see if we can improve the relationship," the Democratic lawmaker told reporters, stressing: "This isn't the time to start flexing our muscles."
Lawmakers of both major US parties have pushed for reevaluating Washington's aid to Islamabad after elite US commandos found the elusive Al-Qaeda in a fortified compound not far from Islamabad in a town with a military academy.
But others have warned that cutting off, freezing, or attaching new conditions to US assistance -- which has totaled roughly $20 billion since 2001 -- would damage a troubled but critical relationship in the war on terrorism.
"I think this is the time that we have withhold judgment. Before any money's going to be asked to be sent to Pakistan, there will be hearings; there will be discussions in the White House. There will be diplomatic activities," said Reid.
"I don't think we need at this stage to talk about what we're going to do, because that decision doesn't have to be made right now," said the senator.
Reid told reporters that Democratic
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