United States President Donald Trump ushered in the New Year with a tweet accusing Pakistan of not doing enough to combat terrorism. He said that his country had “foolishly” given Pakistan $33 billion (Rs 2.10 lakh crore) in aid over the last 15 years. In return, he claimed, Pakistan had given the US nothing but “lies and deceit”. He added that US operations in Afghanistan were being affected because Islamabad provided “safe haven” to terrorists. “No more!” he said.
This is not the first time that Trump has accused Pakistan of such activities. He had criticised Pakistan in August 2017 for providing shelter to terrorists. In July 2017, the United States had blocked $350 million (Rs 2,23,433 lakh) in aid to Pakistan for not taking enough action against the Haqqani network.
Pakistani newspaper Dawn said the ties between Islamabad and Washington, which have already been strained, “suffered a severe setback”. Trump’s tweet has also sparked a “war of words” between the two administrations, it said, indicating Pakistan’s response that it will “not do more”.
The Express Tribune called it a “New Year’s bashing”, and said that the “rap” had “raised alarm bells” in Pakistan. However, the report said, the tweet was not out of the blue, as it was only the “latest lowlight in the tailspin that the US-Pakistan relationship has been caught in since August”. The US president’s tweet seemed like a nudge to Pakistan that it had not yet taken its hint, it said.
However, the daily also highlighted that Pakistan will not give in to pressure from the United States.
The Daily Times highlighted that Trump’s tweet held no importance, according to Pakistan. It also quoted politicians as saying that the United States has failed for 16 years in Afghanistan, and must not use Pakistan as an excuse.
The Patriot also highlighted the words “lies and deceit” and said that this followed an “increasingly tense back-and-forth between Islamabad and Washington”.
The United States president’s “tantrum trumped”, said The Nation. It called Donald Trump’s statement “provocative” and added that “Pakistan had made it clear the country was not prepared to take dictation from anyone anymore”.
The daily also highlighted social media “outrage” following the tweet.
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