Pakistan's Foreign Minister
Khawaja Asif has declared US and Pakistan are no longer friends and the
bilateral ties need a serious revisit. He, in fact, was so acerbic during an
interview that he went on the say that US was a friend who always betrayed and
added that in case of any US aggression, "Pakistan would respond in a
manner that would reflect the nation's will."
"The US behaviour is
neither that of an ally nor of a friend. It is a friend who always
betrays," Asif said in a television interview. He said Pakistan could
survive without the US assistance as it had done during the Pressler Amendment,
"They did it in the past as well, which is evident from our history. They
have always betrayed us in hard times." He also advocated a tough
resolution by the Pakistani parliament on the issue reflecting the national
sentiment.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister
doubted US motives in Afghanistan, blaming a nexus between US and India as,
according to him, instability in the region suits both, "They, the US and
allies, have best and highly equipped forces. How come they could not perform
in Afghanistan? Why there is 9000 tons of opium being produced in Afghanistan
and why is Daesh present there in as much as nine provinces."
Asif asserted that his views
on the matter should be seen as Pakistan's official response as "he had no
individual worth and he was just a public representative."
Asif's blunt remarks
contradict the stand taken by the Pakistan Army on US President Donald Trump's
latest accusation that Pakistan has given the US nothing but lies and deceit
thinking of US leaders as fools and now is the time to stop the financial aid
to Pakistan. He blamed Pakistan for giving safe haven to the terrorists the US
hunts in Afghanistan in spite of receiving $33 Billion of US aid in last 15
years.
After Trump's latest
accusation, the US withheld scheduled $255 million military financial
assistance to Pakistan. The White House released a statement asking Pakistan to
do more in the war on terror and today came up with a list of 27 Haqqani
Network terrorists and wants action against them by 15 January.
In Pakistan Army's first
official response yesterday, Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, Director-General (DG) of the
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army,
though had said that no amount of coercion could dictate Pakistan but had also
added that* "as far as Pakistan was concerned, it considered them (the US)
as allies" declaring that "the Pakistan-US relationship has had its ups
and downs but still, they were friends."
When asked about reports
emerging that the US is not willing to consider Pakistan a friend and ally
anymore, he said Pakistan could have chosen the erstwhile USSR as its ally but
instead preferred the US and still considers the country as its ally.
He, in fact, termed the
US-Pakistan tension an issue of misunderstanding. He said Pakistan had taken
action against the Haqqani Network but the US should give some time for its
effects to become visible, "effects of these operations cannot be visible
immediately. Only time will show how effective these operations were in
establishing peace within the region."
©SantoshChaubey
