ISLAMABAD – Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday said that Pakistancan survive without taking aid from the United States as it survived in thepast.
Talking to a private TV channel, the foreign minister elaborated that it isnot the first time. Referring to the Pressler Amendment, he said, “They didit in the past as well, which is evident from our history. They have alwaysbetrayed us in hard times.”
link>Asif held both the US and India responsiblefor the prevailing unrest in the region, saying that the ‘instability inthe region suits both the US and India’. “There is a nexus between the USand India, they share the same stakes,” Asif said, adding “The US wants touse India like they used Pakistan in the past, or maybe a step further.”
The minister said Washinton and New Dehli believe the China-PakistanEconomic Corridor (CPEC) project was posing threats to their interests.“The US and India have constituted a joint front against the CPEC,” hemaintained.
There is no organised presence of terrorists on Pakistani soil, he said,adding that the reduced number of drone attacks is a proof of this. “China,Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, and Iran expressed complete solidarity withus after August 21 speech of US President Trump,” he said. “We are notdiplomatically isolated.”
link>Asif said the United States is not a friendof Pakistan and the country needs to revisit its ties with Washington. “TheUS behaviour is neither that of an ally nor of a friend,” Asif said. “It isa friend who always betrays.”
The minister further said that in case of any aggression by the US,Pakistan would respond in a manner that would reflect the nation’s will.
Asked if his recent tweets were in a personal capacity or were as theforeign minister, the minister said his tweets represent the state’sresponse as long as he is not asked by the leadership to limit issuing suchstatements.
The foreign minister maintained that there is always a difference betweenan individual’s and institutional reactions, adding that if the parliamentresponds to the allegations then it should be “closer to the publicsentiment.”
“If the parliament adopts a resolution on the issue, it should be closer tothe public sentiment,” Asif said. “This is a national issue and a matter ofour dignity.”
Responding to a question regarding allegations by US National SecurityAdvisor McMaster, he said, “I met McMaster and he told me that ‘you makepromises, but don’t keep them, and our trust level is quite low’.”
“I told him we don’t have any trust level given what you did to us in thepast 20-30 years,” the minister said, adding the meeting, which lasted forless than half an hour, got over in the same tone.