In October he had said that the US has started to develop a much better relationship with Pakistan and its leaders. In a New Year, US President shocked Pakistan with a tweet that read, "the United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars 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!
Is this a change in stand by the US President whose January 1 tweet runs contrary to what he had said on the micro-blogging site on October 14 2017? The analysts would say that one would need to approach both statements differently.
The October tweet was in reaction to the Pakistani forces rescuing an American woman from the Haqqani Network, a terror group close to the Taliban.
The January 1 tweet has more weight and was said in the context of Pakistan pretending to fight terror. Trump's Islamabad policy has been consistent. He and his administration have been tightening the screws around Pakistan. He has constantly reminded Pakistan to be more transparent in its fight against terrorism.
The US has been reducing aid given to Pakistan since 2015. While the aid still continues, the US has not taken Pakistan off the list of terror safe havens. Recently Trump's defence secretary, James Mattis confirmed that the US was close to losing its patience with Pakistan.
He said that the US would try and work with Pakistan 'one more time.' He also warned Islamabad of diplomatic and economic isolation if it refused to mend its ways.
OneIndia News
