Hours after President Donald Trump’s stinging attack on Pakistan’s “lies and deceit” over harbouring terrorists for many years, the United States has effectively blocked for now its proposed $255 million military aid to Islamabad.
“The United States does not plan to spend the $255 million in FY 2016 Foreign Military Financing for Pakistan at this time,” a National Security Council official told media outlets on Monday in what turned out to be the Trump administration’s first pronouncement of for the new year. Tying any future security assistance to hard counter-terrorism measures by Islamabad, the official said: “The President has made clear that the United States expects Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorists and militants on its soil.”
“Pakistan’s actions in support of the South Asia Strategy will ultimately determine the trajectory of our relationship, including future security assistance,” the official stressed.
President Trump, in what was his first tweet of 2018, declared earlier on Monday that the United States will no longer put up with its “lies & deceit”.
“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,” Trump tweeted, adding: “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!”
The first indication of the US plan to block the aid came with a New York Times report on Saturday, citing officials as saying that such a move is afoot “as a show of dissatisfaction with Pakistan’s broader intransigence toward confronting the terrorist networks that operate there”. The Trump administraton had first put the $255 million aid on temporary hold last August. A part of the $1.1 billion aid package that the US Congress had authorized for Pakistan in 2016, the administration had said that the aid tranche would be held in abeyance until Pakistan agreed to do more to combat terrorist networks.
Trump’s hard-hitting tweet is being viewed here as only the climax of a steadily deteriorating relationship, marked by Washington’s increasingly frequent warnings in recent weeks over Islamabad’s failure to act decisively against terrorists and militants on its soil.
“We have made clear to Pakistan that while we desire continued partnership, we must see decisive action against terrorist groups operating on their territory,” Trump said while unveiling his National Security Strategy on December 18, adding: “We make massive payments every year to Pakistan. They have to help.”
Lauding Trump’s offensive against Pakistan, Republican Senator Rand Paul tweeted: “I couldn’t agree more. I have been fighting to end aid to Pakistan for years and will again lead the charge in the Senate. Let’s make this happen.”
And Congressman Ted Poe from Texas, who for long has demanded that Pakistan should be declared a State sponsor of terrorism, hailed Trump for recognizing Pakistan for “what it is”, adding: “If Pakistan does not stop aiding terrorists, we must cut all aid to Islamabad, revoke their privileged status as a major Non-NATO ally & designate Pakistan as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.”
Trump’s own eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., hailed his father’s push, tweeting: “Great start. Why give millions to countries who would harbor our enemies.”