Pakistan on Thursday strongly rejected US President Donald Trump's accusation that Pakistan has been undermining the US's so-called 'war against terror' despite receiving billions of dollars in aid.
A high-level meeting of military and political leaders under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was held on Thursday to come up with a response to Trump's stance on Afghanistan and South Asia, in which he had singled out Pakistan for its alleged involvement in terrorism.
"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting," Trump had said in his speech on Monday night.
According to Pakistani daily The Dawn, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee Zubair Hayat, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, and Naval Chief Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah attended the four-hour long meeting.
The conclusions of the meeting were later shared in Senate by Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif.
"The committee observed that Pakistan had to manage the blow-back of a protracted conflict in Afghanistan that resulted in a deluge of refugees, flow of drugs and arms and, recently, terrorist safe havens in eastern Afghanistan," the foreign minister said, a statement said.
"The committee observed that these safe-havens harbour anti-Pakistan terrorist groups that continue to operate and launch attacks inside Pakistan," the statement added.
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"The fact remains that the complex issues and internal dynamics inside Afghanistan pose a grave challenge not only to Pakistan but to the broader region and the international community," the statement said, adding, "Pakistan has consistently supported all international efforts for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan.
--IANS
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