WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD:The United States accusedlink>Pakistanlink> on Tuesday of playing a “double game”on fighting terrorism and warned Islamabad it would have to do more if itwanted to maintain U.S. aid.
They can do more to stop terrorism and we want them to do that,” WhiteHouse spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters.
The White House said it would likely announce actions to pressurelink>Pakistanlink>within days, shortly after U.S.Ambassador Nikki Haley said at the United Nations that Washington wouldwithhold $255 million in assistance to link>Pakistan link> .
”There are clear reasons for this. link>Pakistan link> has played a double game foryears,“ Haley told reporters. ”They work with US at times, and they alsoharbor the terrorists that attack our troops in Afghanistan.
“That game is not acceptable to this administration. We expect far morecooperation from link>Pakistanlink> in the fight against terrorism.”
The comments followed an angry tweet from President Donald Trump on Mondaythat the United States had been rewarded with “nothing but lies and deceit”for “foolishly” giving link>Pakistanlink>more than $33 billion in aid in thepast 15 years.
“They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with littlehelp. No more!” he tweeted.
link>Pakistanlink> civilian and military chiefs onTuesday rejected “incomprehensible” U.S. comments and summoned AmericanAmbassador David Hale to explain Trump’s tweet.
Pakistani U.N. Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi said in a statement that hercountry’s fight against terrorism was not based on any consideration of aidbut on national interests and principles.
“We have contributed and sacrificed the most in fighting internationalterrorism and carried out the largest counter terrorism operation anywherein the world,” Lodhi said. “We can review our cooperation if it is notappreciated.”
Relations with Washington have been strained for years over Islamabad’salleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with theAfghan Taliban.
The United States also alleges that senior Afghan Taliban commanders liveon Pakistani soil, and has signaled it will cut aid and take other steps ifIslamabad does not stop helping or turning a blind eye to Haqqani militantscrossing the border to carry out attacks in Afghanistan.
In 2016, Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strikeinside link>Pakistanlink> and in 2011, al Qaeda leader Osama binLaden was found and killed by U.S. troops in the garrison town ofAbbottabad.