ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the United States cheats its friends as he expressed the resolve that the nation would give a unanimous response to any aggression.

“Pakistan would revisit its relations with the US,” he told a TV channel. “The US is not recognising Pakistan’s sacrifices given in the war against terrorism.”

The foreign minister said that the soldiers and high-ranking officers of the Pakistan armed forces have sacrificed their lives in fighting the war against terror. In every difficult time, the Americans left Pakistan in the lurch, he said, adding the US had got benefits in the Afghan war while Pakistan had to face immense trouble and destruction.

Asif said China, Turkey and Russia besides other countries have acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts in the war against terrorism. Diplomatically, Pakistan is not isolated; rather it has good relations with many countries including China, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

To a question, he said Pakistan has destroyed all the networks of terrorists and restored peace in Swat, tribal areas and other parts of the country.

ON SAME PAGE

Meanwhile, the government and the opposition were on the same page in a meeting of Parliamentary Committee on National Security pledging that no compromise would be made on national dignity and honour in the wake of US threats.

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq chaired the committee meeting. The parliamentary leaders rejected the baseless US allegations against Pakistan saying Islamabad has the capability to face any situation and there would be no compromise on national security. It was agreed that a committee meeting would be convened next week in which the top military leadership will also be invited.

Sadiq told newsmen after the meeting that all the political parties were united on the issue of national security and the US without compromising national dignity and honour.

“A balanced response maintaining Pakistan’s dignity is needed while engaging with the US,” he said and added that the most important thing in the committee meeting was the unity of all political parties on the issue.

The foreign minister briefed the committee on the decisions of the cabinet and National Security Committee (NSC). He said the civilian and military leaders were on the wavelength on the statement of President Trump. He said Washington had ignored facts on Pakistan.

He said the US should not blame Pakistan for its failure in Afghanistan, as the latter will not compromise on its dignity and honour. He told the committee that Pakistan could not fight the Afghan war on its soil.

“The US claims of giving $33 billion in aid is baseless,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s security forces and people have given huge sacrifices in the war on terrorism. He said that Pakistan will not make any compromise on its dignity and honour and will make a decision keeping national and security interest supreme.

‘CONCRETE ACTIONS’

Pakistan’s opposition, meanwhile, called for concrete actions to retaliate.

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan said Pakistan should “delink” itself from the US after its humiliation “by an ungrateful Donald Trump.”

Addressing a fiery press conference outside his residence in Islamabad, Khan called the Pakistan government to expel some US diplomatic personnel and cut off supply routes for the US-led coalition forces from the port city of Karachi to landlocked Afghanistan, as well as close its airspace to US forces.

The political elite of Pakistan were responsible for the threats and strained relations between the two countries, Khan said, referring to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.

The US has given Pakistan more than $20 billion in reimbursements and military assistance since 2002, but that aid has diminished over the years, to the point that Pakistani officials have insisted its suspension will have minimal impact, the New York Times reported.