President Donald Trump has caused a rift with Pakistan due to his New Year’s Day tweet criticizing the South Asian country.
The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018
Although Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja M. Asif posted a tweet claiming that Pakistan’s government would respond to Trump’s tweet “shortly,” there are early indications that Pakistani officials are responding to Trump’s tweet with the utmost seriousness. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chaired a National Security Council meeting in response to the incident, according to CNN. In addition, Pakistan’s foreign office summoned David Hale, the US ambassador to their country, in order to receive an explanation from him about why Trump tweeted what he did, according to The Guardian.
“He has tweeted against us [Pakistan] and Iran for his domestic consumption. He is again and again displacing his frustrations on Pakistan over failures in Afghanistan as they are trapped in a dead-end street in Afghanistan,” Asif told Geo TV on Monday.
We will respond to President Trump's tweet shortly inshallah…Will let the world know the truth..difference between facts & fiction..
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) January 1, 2018
The Trump White House has already been escalating tension in America’s relationship with Pakistan. On Monday the White House announced that it planned on continuing to deny Pakistan access to $255 million in military aid due to dissatisfaction with that nation’s perceived willingness to aggressively pursue Islamist terrorists, particularly militants in the Haqqani network.
“The United States does not plan to spend the $255 million in FY 2016 foreign military financing for Pakistan at this time. The president has made clear that the United States expects Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorists and militants on its soil, and that Pakistan’s actions in support of the South Asia strategy will ultimately determine the trajectory of our relationship, including future security assistance,” a National Security Council spokesman said, according to CNN.
