Trump, Imran trade barbs on Twitter
US president’s remarks sprinkle salt on Pakistan’s wounds, says its PM
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: The leaders of the US and Pakistan sparred on Twitter on Monday after President Donald Trump repeated his accusations that Islamabad failed to act against Osama bin Laden and had “done nothing for us” after receiving billions of dollars as aid.
The allegations, first voiced by Trump in an interview, figured again in two tweets posted on Monday, including one in which he called Pakistanis “Fools”. Trump added: “We no longer pay Pakistan the $Billions because they would take our money and do nothing for us.” Khan responded soon after, tweeting that “Trump’s false assertions add insult to the injury Pak has suffered in US (war on terror) in terms of lives lost & destabilised & economic costs”.
ISLAMABAD: The leaders of the US and Pakistan sparred on Twitter on Monday after President Donald Trump repeated his accusations that Islamabad failed to act against Osama bin Laden and had “done nothing for us” despite taking billions of dollars in aid.
The allegations, first voiced by Trump in an interview aired on Sunday, figured again in two tweets he posted on Monday, including one in which he called Pakistanis “Fools”. Trump added: “We no longer pay Pakistan the $Billions because they would take our money and do nothing for us.”
Khan responded soon after, tweeting, “Trump’s false assertions add insult to the injury Pak has suffered in US (war on terror) in terms of lives lost & destabilised & economic costs”. He added: “Now we will do what is best for our people & our interests.”
Ties between the two countries have been frosty since Trump cut off nearly $2 billion in security aid in January. The relations continue to plummet because of the perception in Washington that Islamabad has done nothing to take decisive action against terrorists operating from its soil. This message has been repeated by several US officials who visited Pakistan.
Even before Trump repeated his accusations, Khan tweeted earlier on Monday that the US leader should do a “serious assessment” of the situation in Afghanistan instead of making Pakistan a “scapegoat” for American failures. Pakistan received a “minuscule” $20 bn from the US for its contribution to the war on terror though it suffered 75,000 casualties and losses of more than $123 bn, he added.
He questioned why the Taliban were stronger in Afghanistan even after 140,000 NATO troops were deployed to support 250,000 Afghan forces and $1 trillion was spent. Khan also reminded Trump that his country “decided to participate in the US War on Terror” though no Pakistani was involved in the 9/11 terror attacks. Referring to the costs of the 17-year conflict, Khan said Pakistan’s tribal areas were devastated and millions were uprooted from their homes. “The war drastically impacted lives of ordinary Pakistanis… Pak continues to provide free lines of ground & air communications. Can Mr Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?”
Trump hit back soon after. He tweeted: “Of course we should have captured Osama Bin Laden long before we did… President Clinton famously missed his shot. We paid Pakistan Billions of Dollars & they never told us he was living there. Fools!..”
Trump added bin Laden and Afghanistan were “prime” examples of Pakistan not doing enough despite receiving US aid. “They were just one of many countries that take from the United States without giving anything in return. That’s ENDING!”
In his response to Trump, Khan tweeted: “He needs to be informed abt historical facts. Pak has suffered enough fighting US’s war.” In a separate tweet in Urdu, Khan said Trump’s “false statements had sprinkled salt on the wounds” of Pakistan.
In the interview aired on Sun- day, Trump had defended his administration’s decision to cut aid to Pakistan.
“We’re giving them $1.3 billion a year – which we don’t give them anymore… I ended it because they don’t do anything for us, they don’t do a damn thing for us,” Trump said, referring to Pakistan’s failure to act against former al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden when he in the country.
Pakistani analysts too said the country should no longer support the war on terror. Journalist Mazhar Abbas said, “What are we waiting for after Donald Trump statement. Just say, ‘No More’ to Trump. Thank you US, thank you. After all, War Against Terror resulted (in the) death of five million and destroyed Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and destabilised Pakistan.”