After Trump snub, Pakistan to review relations with US

Islamabad: Pakistan is set to review its relations with the United States after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut aid. An official said Pakistan would not accept any demands to do more, and could stop all kinds of cooperation with the US. The only response to any ‘do more’ demands will be ‘no more’. The future policy with the US would be limited to ‘cooperation for cooperation’ and relations based on equality. “This policy will be adopted gradually,” he said.
Foreign minister Kha-waja Mohammed Asif and other officials will contact friendly countries, including China, to take them into confidence.

Pakistan, according to the sources, has also decided to reduce dependency on the US in different fields and look for alternatives. It will also speed up the process of implementing its strategy for increasing diplomatic, trade and other relations with China, Russia and other countries. Pakistan People’s Par-ty (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto said President Trump’s allegations against Pakistan mean the “US is no longer interested in defeating terrorism.”

In a string of tweets, a day after Mr Trump accused Islamabad of “deceit and lies,” the PPP chairman said cutting money to Pakistan will discourage friendship. In a reference to US President’s claim that Washington had given more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years to Islamabad, Bilawal Bhutto said: “Someone please explain to Donald Trump difference between coalition support fund reimbursement for work done and US aid ostensibly given for humanitarian reasons, to win hearts and minds.”

The PPP chief chairman criticised the US President for his tirade, and called for Islamabad to “articulate and implement a counter violent extremism strategy not because of what the US wants but because we need to succeed.” “We have to come to terms with the fact, US is no longer interested in defeating terrorism,” he added.