Washington, November 21
US President Donald Trump has reiterated that the $1.3 billion in aid to Pakistan will remain suspended until the country acts against militant safe heavens inside its territory.
The President’s statement came days after he said that Pakistan does not do “a damn thing” for the US, alleging that its government had helped al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden hide near its garrison city of Abbottabad.
Over the last few days, Trump has accused Pakistan of not helping the US in its fight against terrorism.
In an interview to Fox News over the weekend, Trump said that people in Pakistan knew that Laden was living in a mansion near their garrison city of Abbottabad, but they did not tell the US and kept on accepting billions of dollars in aid. “And I cut those payments off a long time ago. We’re not paying Pakistan any money because they’re not helping us at all and we’ll see where it all goes,” Trump said.
Early this year, Trump announced to stop all security assistance to Pakistan. “I hope to have a good relationship with Pakistan,” said Trump, indicating that the relationship between the two countries can come back on track if Pakistan took action against terrorist groups and their safe havens. “But right now, we’re paying Pakistan nothing. I cut them off. They were getting $1.3 billion a year. They’re not getting anything now,” Trump asserted.
However, former Pakistani Ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, said Trump might be incorrect in saying that Pakistan has not done anything for the US. Over the decades, Pakistan has helped the US with some of its policy objectives, he said.
Americans have provided over $43 billion in military and economic assistance since 1954, helped build Pakistan’s conventional military capability, and bailed Pakistan out of both economic and political crises on several occasions, he said. — PTI
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