( 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 . The discovery of bin Laden in a compound in Abbottabad , Pakistan , highlighted suspicions by American leaders that some Pakistani security forces may have collaborated with terrorists . Obama chose not to alert Pakistan 's authorities before the U.S. raid . Meanwhile , popular opinion in Pakistan has been inflamed by the U.S. incursion to kill bin Laden as well as U.S. drone strikes against suspected terrorists . Sharif promised in his election campaign to try to improve relations with India , a rivalry that underlies the fears of Pakistan 's security forces . He was vague about terrorism and other issues of interest to the United States , but analysts said Sharif worked well with U.S. officials as Prime Minister during the 1990s .
U.S.-Pakistan relations strained since raid that killed Osama bin Laden . Obama administration began withholding some aid in 2011 . Pakistanis objected to raid and U.S. drone strikes . Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif set to visit White House on Wednesday .