Trump: Pakistan aid ‘foolish’

DONALD TRUMP has hinted he will cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan to punish it for the perceived failure to tackle terrorism.

The US president used his first tweet of the year to attack the country’s “lies” and “deceit” in cracking down on violent extremism. Mr Trump’s administration is expected to decide within months whether to permanently hold back $255million in aid for the country.

He tweeted: “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33billion 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!”

Mr Trump singled out Pakistan for criticism last month when revealing his national security strategy. “We make massive payments every year to Pakistan,” he said. “They have to help.”

Last week, The New York Times reported that Mr Trump’s team is considering withholding the $255million in State Department assistance known as Foreign Military Financing.