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US has given us nothing but mistrust: Pakistan slams Trump's tweet

Pakistan Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir-Khan on Monday accused the US of overlooking "safe havens of terrorists who murder Pakistanis"

Trump

President Donald Trump with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, right, speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Meeting Room of the White House in Washington (Photo: AP/PTI)

ANI Islamabad

Pakistan has hit back at United States President Donald Trump for accusing Islamabad of lying and cheating in 'war on terrorism', saying that US has given it "nothing but invective and mistrust".

Pakistan Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir-Khan on Monday accused the US of overlooking "safe havens of terrorists who murder Pakistanis" and said Islamabad as anti-terror ally provided the US with "land and air communication, military bases and intel cooperation that decimated Al-Qaeda over last 16 years".

"But they have given us nothing but invective & mistrust. They overlook cross-border safe havens of terrorists who murder Pakistanis," Dastgir-Khan said in a tweet.

 

Earlier, Trump, once again, castigated Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists.

Trump, in a strongly-worded tweet, on Monday said the United States had been "foolishly" giving aid to Pakistan for 15 years, but in return, it has only received "lies and deceit".

"The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump said on the Twitter.

The tweet has drawn huge criticism in Pakistan.

The army and the government criticised Trump's statement and said the US was blaming its failures in Afghanistan on Pakistan.

Later in the day, Pakistan also summoned United States ambassador David Hale over Trump's accusations and lodged its protest against the tweet.

The national daily quoted sources as saying that Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua sought an explanation from the envoy in the matter.

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First Published: Jan 02 2018 | 8:42 AM IST

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