As US yanks aid, Nawaz Sharif says Pakistan must do soul searching
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday called for soul searching in the face of the US President Donald Trump’s remarks about cutting off aid over Pakistan’s counterterror efforts, saying there is a need to assess why the world has a negative opinion of the country.
Sharif said there was a need to move away from “self-deception”. Sharif, disqualified by the Supreme Court last year for dishonesty, also warned he would spill the beans on forces that were bent on weakening democracy.
“As a respectable Pakistani citizen, I want to point out that we should assess our actions,” he told a news conference after returning from Saudi Arabia.
“I have repeatedly talked about putting our house in order and urged the people to reflect on why the world has negative opinions about us and does not take us seriously,” he said, apparently referring to calls for Pakistan to end backing for terror groups blamed for attacks in India and Afghanistan.
Sharif also responded to Trump’s warning about cutting off aid to Pakistan by saying the government isn’t bothered by such threats. Describing Trump’s tweet on the matter as “non-serious”, he said a head of state should keep in mind the rules of diplomatic engagement while addressing another state.
But he also said the people should ask themselves why the world doesn’t listen to Pakistan or accept its narrative.