US is no longer an ally: Pakistan Finance Minister

Islamabad: Ticked off by US President Donald Trump for not doing enough to crack down on terror, Pakistan has declared that it no longer has an alliance with the United States. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has said the country’s alliance with the US seems to be coming to an end.

“We do not have any alliance, this is not how allies behave,” Asif told WSJ in an interview on January 5. Ties between the two countries have worsened since Donald Trump, in a New Year’s Day tweet, accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but “lies and deceit” and providing “safe haven” to terrorists in return for $33 billion aid over the last 15 years.

Asif had earlier accused the US of acting like “a friend who always betrays”. “The US behaviour is neither that of an ally, nor that of a friend. It is a friend who always betrays.” While Asif’s response to the US administration has been scathing, Pakistan’s foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua tempered the rhetoric and struck a conciliatory note on Sunday.

Janjua said Pakistan would continue engaging with Washington despite the suspension of aid. “As far as possible Pakistan wants to engage with the US because it is not only a global power but also has its presence in the region, and for us it’s almost our neighbour,” she was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

There are other countries that could ally with Pakistan, Asif said. Following Trump’s tweet against Pakistan this week, Chinese foreign ministry had said it was “ready to promote and deepen” its cooperation with Pakistan. “We are not alone,” Asif said, reports CNN IBN.