History teaches us to be careful of trusting America: Khawaja Asif
The foreign minister said Pakistan should not be blamed for failure on part of the US
January 03, 2018
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Foreign Affairs Khawaja Asif has said the past of Pakistan suggests the country should be careful of trusting the United States.
In a tweet posted on Wednesday, Asif addressed the US government, saying they should not blame Pakistan for their failure. “We are upset that you are not pleased [with us], but we will not compromise our honour.”
In a series of tweets, the foreign minister also stated that Pakistan has been cleaning the mess of decades for the past four years.
“Our army is fighting a major war – a never-ending tale of sacrifice.”
Asif’s response came following a tweet by US President Donald Trump that triggered a widespread response from Pakistan's leadership.
As per the US president, they regretted giving aid to Pakistan for the past 15 years, only to get “lies and deceit” in return.
Earlier on Wednesday, Asif briefed a meeting of the federal cabinet on the future political discourse in relation to Trump’s allegations.
The national, as well as the regional security situation, economic and social affairs, were also a part of the meeting's agenda.
Earlier, Asif had said Trump can hire a US-based audit firm on Pakistan’s expense to verify the quoted figure of $33 billion aid to the country, in order to know "who is lying and deceiving".
“President Trump quoted the figure of $33 billion given to Pakistan over 15 years, he can hire a US-based audit firm on our expense to verify this figure and let the world know who is lying and deceiving,” tweeted Asif.
However, according to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Trump’s tweet is “sad” and “non-serious,” and stressed that a head of state should be mindful of the diplomatic rules of engagement.
“Pakistan paid the highest price after 9/11” Nawaz said, emphasising that the country had lost the most in the war on terrorism.
The former premier said further that the Coalition Support Fund should not be termed aid, adding that we do not need "taunts" about aid.
"Had there been a democratic government in 2001, it would not have sold its conscience," said Nawaz, who was deposed in 1999 by the-then army chief General Pervez Musharraf.
“We need to take stock of the domestic situation and find out why the world has a negative view of Pakistan,” he during a news conference at the Punjab House on Wednesday.
