I think often "aid money" is another name for "sweetners" or "bribery".
We give India or Pakistan (and others) millions of pounds, but then expect them to buy our military equipment, our planes, weapons etc. Or to buy other things off our UK companies.
It also means we can still use their ports to keep our military ships, or have military bases in their countries, and also use their countries as "listening posts" to listen in on Iraq, Iran, Afganistan, Russia, China and so on.
Also if WE give them money it means they dont have to go to Russia or China and get money off them, keeping these countries sweet towards the UK and the West.
In fact I think part of the reason we have let so many countries from Eastern Europe join the EU is to keep them facing "West" rather than getting into the clutches of countries on the "East".
It is all about the world wide "game" of politics.