ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir has said that Pakistan, as anti-terror ally, has given free to US land and air communication, military bases and international cooperation that decimated Al-Qaeda over last 16 years.

In a statement on Monday, he said that US has given us nothing but invective and mistrust.

He said they overlook cross-border safe havens of terrorists who murder Pakistanis. </s> Washington: The US has suspended its $255 million military aid to Pakistan for now, the White House has confirmed, saying the fate of such assistance will depend on Islamabad’s response to terrorism on its soil.

The confirmation comes on the same day when US President Donald Trump 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.

“The United States does not plan to spend the USD 255 million in FY 2016 in Foreign Military Financing for Pakistan at this time,” a senior administration official told PTI, on the condition of anonymity.

“The president has made clear the US expects Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorists and militants on its soil, and that Pakistan’s actions in support of the South Asia Strategy will ultimately determine the trajectory of our relationship, including future security assistance,” he said.

The US administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation, the official said. Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump, in his first tweet of the New Year, blasted the Pakistan leadership by saying that they have given America “nothing but lies and deceit” despite having received more than $33 billion in the last 15 years.

Also Read: Donald Trump accuses Pakistan of ‘lying and deceit’, threatens to cut US aid

“They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Trump said, clearly indicating that Pakistan would no longer receive any security aid from the US till the time it sees a change in behaviour from them in fight against terrorism.

Within hours, the Pakistani defence ministry fired back, alleging that it has got “nothing but invective and mistrust” for all the actions it took in support of America’s war against terrorism.

“Pak as anti-terror ally has given free to US: land & air communication, military bases & intel cooperation that decimated Al-Qaeda over last 16yrs, but they have given us nothing but invective & mistrust. They overlook cross-border safe havens of terrorists who murder Pakistanis,” the Pakistan defence ministry said in a tweet.

Trump who returned to the White House from Mar-a-Lago in Florida where he spent his Christmas and New Year vacation did not respond to questions from reporters on “what is your plan on Pakistan?”

Several US lawmakers came out in support of Trump adopting a tough approach on Pakistan.

“I support the decision today by President Trump to end aid to Pakistan,” Republican Congressman Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma said. “You’re either with the US, or against us. We will always help our friends, but for too long, the US has propped up countries that do not share our goal to end terrorism. I’m proud to see our president take bold steps to put America first,” Mullin said.

“I couldn’t agree more,” tweeted Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky. “I’ve been fighting to end aid to Pakistan for years and will again lead the charge in the Senate,” said Paul.

Samantha Vinograd, CNN’s national security analyst spoke in favour of Trump’s move. “As a way to make it clear to the Pakistanis that enough is enough, if President Trump actually follows through, it could be an effective move,” she said in an opinion piece published on the CNN website.

“It isn’t the only step by any means, but it could be the right one,” she said. “Great start. Why give millions to countries who would harbor our enemies?” Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr tweeted on Monday. PTI </s> WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Pakistan of lying and deceiving the United States while receiving billions of dollars in foreign aid.



?In his first tweet of the year, Trump said, '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!'



Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said, 'We have already told the US that we will not do more, so Trump's 'no more' does not hold any importance, 'Pakistan is ready to publicly provide every detail of the US aid that it has received.'?



Pakistan's Foreign Minister tweeted, 'Pak as anti-terror ally has given free to US: land & air communication, military bases & intel cooperation that decimated Al-Qaeda over last 16yrs, but they have given us nothing but invective & mistrust. They overlook cross-border safe havens of terrorists who murder Pakistanis.'



US Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale was summoned to the foreign office on Monday to hear a protest over Mr Trump's tweet.



Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan tweeted that the US had given Pakistan 'nothing but invective & mistrust'.



Separately, Trump tweeted, ' Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration. The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!'



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX </s> ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Defence Khurram Dastgir Monday said that Pakistan as an ally in war against terrorism had given free access to United States to its land and air communication.

Responding to the Tweet statement of US President Donald J. Trump, he Tweeted that Pakistan had also given free access to US to the military basis and international cooperation that decimated Al-Qaeda over last sixteen years.

Unfortunately, he said that they had given us nothing but invective and mistrust adding they also overlooked

 cross-border safe havens of terrorists who killed Pakistanis. – APP </s> has hit back at for accusing of lying and cheating in 'war on terrorism', saying that U.S. has given it "nothing but invective and mistrust".

on Monday accused the U.S. of overlooking "safe havens of terrorists who murder Pakistanis" and said as anti-terror ally provided the U.S. with "land and air communication, military bases and intel cooperation that decimated over last 16 years".

"But they have given us nothing but invective & mistrust. They overlook cross-border safe havens of terrorists who murder Pakistanis," Dastgir-Khan said in a tweet.

Earlier, Trump, once again, castigated for providing safe havens to terrorists.

Trump, in a strongly-worded tweet, yesterday said the had been "foolishly" giving aid to for 15 years, but in return, it has only received "lies and deceit".

"The has foolishly given 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!" Trump said on the

The tweet has drawn huge criticism in

The and the government criticised Trump's statement and said the U.S. was blaming its failures in on

Later in the day, also summoned over Trump's accusations and lodged its protest. </s> ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s angry tweet about Pakistani “lies and deceit”, which Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed as a political stunt.

David Hale was summoned by the Pakistan foreign office on Monday to explain Trump’s tweet, media said. The ministry could not be reached for comment but the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad confirmed on Tuesday that a meeting had taken place.

Trump said the United States had had been rewarded with “nothing but lies and deceit” for “foolishly” giving Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years.

“They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” he tweeted on Monday.

His words drew praise from Pakistan’s old foe, India, and neighbouring Afghanistan, but long-time ally China defended Pakistan.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday chaired a National Security Committee meeting of civilian and military chiefs, focusing on Trump’s tweet. The meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, was brought forward by a day and followed an earlier meeting of army generals.

Relations with Washington have been strained for years over Islamabad’s alleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban.

The United States also alleges that senior Afghan Taliban commanders live on Pakistani soil, and has signalled that it will cut aid and take other steps if Islamabad does not stop helping or turning a blind eye to Haqqani militants crossing the border to carry out attacks in Afghanistan.

In 2016, Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strike inside Pakistan and in 2011, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. troops in the garrison town of Abbottabad.

Islamabad bristles at the suggestion that it is not doing enough to fight Islamist militants, noting that its casualties at the hands of Islamists since 2001 number in the tens of thousands.

Foreign Minister Asif dismissed Trump’s comments as a political stunt born out of frustration over U.S. failures in Afghanistan, where Afghan Taliban militants have been gaining territory and carrying out major attacks.

“He has tweeted against us and Iran for his domestic consumption,” Asif told Geo TV on Monday.

“He is again and again displacing his frustrations on Pakistan over failures in Afghanistan as they are trapped in dead-end street in Afghanistan.”

Asif added that Pakistan did not need U.S. aid.

A U.S. National Security Council official on Monday said the White House did not plan to send an already-delayed $255 million in aid to Pakistan “at this time” and that “the administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation”.

Afghan defence spokesman General Dawlat Waziri said Trump had “declared the reality”, adding that “Pakistan has never helped or participated in tackling terrorism”.

Jitendra Singh, a junior minister at the Indian prime minister’s office, said Trump’s comment had “vindicated India’s stand as far as terror is concerned and as far as Pakistan’s role in perpetrating terrorism is concerned”.

But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, asked during a briefing about Trump’s tweet, did not mention the United States.

“We have said many times that Pakistan has put forth great effort and made great sacrifices in combating terrorism,” he said. “It has made a prominent contribution to global anti-terror efforts.”

Pakistani officials say tough U.S. measures threaten to push Pakistan further into the arms of China, which has pledged to invest $57 billion in Pakistani infrastructure as part of its vast Belt and Road initiative. </s> Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of “lies & deceit” and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism.

U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the president’s statement, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. Pakistan lodged a strongly worded protest and asked for clarification about Trump’s comments, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Pakistan’s prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trump’s New Year’s Day tweet.

It was the president’s latest broadside against Pakistan after a speech in August in which he demanded its leaders crack down on the safe havens enjoyed by Taliban militants fighting U.S.-backed forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

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“The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools,” Trump wrote.

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! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018

Trump’s face was plastered across TV channels in Pakistan. Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif went on Geo TV, the country’s biggest news channel, to respond.

“We have already told the U.S. that we will not do more, so Trump’s ‘no more’ does not hold any importance,” Asif said.

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He said that Trump was disappointed that the U.S. was losing its 16-year war in Afghanistan and trying to blame Pakistan. He also said Pakistan was “ready to publicly provide every detail of the U.S. aid that it has received.”

Pakistani officials maintain the billions it has received from the U.S. were mainly reimbursements for supporting U.S.-led coalition forces that invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to topple the Taliban regime that sheltered Al Qaeda.

Opposition politician Shireen Mazari called Trump “shameless.”

“We have sacrificed our citizens & soldiers fighting [your] war which we [should] never have done,” Mazari said.

U and ur country r shameless. We have sacrificed our citizens & soldiers fighting ur war which we shd never have done. Keep ur money and Pak govt shd immed implement our Parl resolution demanding Pak stop giving GLOC & ALOC facilities to US. Let's c what u achieve then in Afgh! https://t.co/7bIo00gH9W — Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 1, 2018

Afghan officials have cheered Trump’s tough talk against Pakistan, which Kabul accuses of sponsoring terrorist attacks on Afghan soil. But some analysts say Trump is playing a dangerous game by challenging Pakistan’s security establishment, which many U.S. officials view as essential to forging a peace agreement with the Taliban.

Still, Pakistan has periodically taken steps to show it is cooperating against militants. In October, security forces freed two hostages, including an American woman, held by a Taliban-linked group for five years.

On Monday, Pakistan passed an order prohibiting donations to people and groups under United Nations Security Council sanctions. The move was seen as targeting Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the deadly 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, who runs a high-profile political organization in Pakistan despite a $10-million reward issued by the U.S. for information leading to his conviction.

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Special correspondent Sahi reported from Islamabad and Times staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia </s> By Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Jan 2 (PTI) Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will chair Cabinet and the National Security Committee meetings to discuss Pakistan's response to US President Donald Trump's accusation that Islamabad deceived America by sheltering terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid.

Trump yesterday tore into Pakistan accusing it of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for aid over the last 15 years thinking of American leaders as "fools".

In his strongest attack against Pakistan yet, Trump in his first tweet of the year on New Year's day also appeared to suggest he could cut off foreign aid to Pakistan.

The White House later said the US has suspended its USD 255 million military aid to Pakistan, saying the fate of such assistance will depend on Islamabad's decisive action against terrorists.

Radio Pakistan reported that Abbasi would preside over a meeting of the federal cabinet today, which will discuss among other things, national security issue.

Official sources said that Trump's remarks would be the main point of discussion in the meeting.

The cabinet meeting will be followed by the meeting of National Security Committee (NSC) tomorrow. The Prime Minister will chair the NSC moot which will review in detail the security situation of the country and the region.

The meeting will be attended by Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir-Khan, services chiefs and senior civil and military officers.

Sources said that the NSC meeting will help to firm up the final response to the latest accusation by the US.

In August, Trump had accused Pakistan of providing safe havens to terrorists.

Pakistan has been cautious in reacting to the latest remarks by Trump and so far only Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has on the record spoke about it.

"We will respond to President Trump's tweet shortly inshallah...Will let the world know the truth..difference between facts & fiction..," Asif tweeted yesterday. PTI SH NSA .

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire. </s> ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan summoned the U.S. ambassador in protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s angry tweet about Pakistan’s “lies and deceit”, while Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed the outburst as a political stunt.

David Hale was summoned by the Pakistan foreign office on Monday to explain Trump’s tweet, media said. A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad confirmed the meeting took place.

In a withering attack, Trump on Monday said the United States had “foolishly” handed Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years and had been rewarded with “nothing but lies and deceit”.

“They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump’s harsh words drew praise from Pakistan’s old foe, India, and neighboring Afghanistan, but long-time ally China defended Pakistan’s record of combating “terrorism”.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday will chair a cabinet meeting that will focus on Trump’s tweet, while on Wednesday the country’s top civilian and military chiefs will meet to discuss deteriorating U.S. ties.

Relations between United States and its uneasy ally Pakistan have been strained for many years over Islamabad’s alleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban.

The United States also alleges senior Afghan Taliban commanders live on Pakistani soil. In 2016, the then-Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strike inside Pakistan and in 2011, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. troops in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad.

Washington has signaled to Pakistan that it will cut aid and enact other punitive measures if Islamabad does not stop helping or turning a blind eye to the Haqqani network militants who carry out cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.

Islamabad bristles at the suggestion it is not doing enough in the war against militancy, saying that since 2001, Pakistan has suffered more than the United States from militancy as casualties at the hands of Islamists number in the tens of thousands.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Asif dismissed Trump’s comments as a political stunt borne out of frustration over U.S. failures in Afghanistan, where Afghan Taliban militants have been gaining territory and carrying out major attacks.

“He has tweeted against us (Pakistan) and Iran for his domestic consumption,” Asif told Geo TV on Monday.

“He is again and again displacing his frustrations on Pakistan over failures in Afghanistan as they are trapped in dead-end street in Afghanistan.”

Asif added that Pakistan did not need U.S. aid.

A U.S. National Security Council official on Monday said the White House did not plan to send $255 million in aid to Pakistan “at this time” and said “the administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation.” In August, the administration had said it was delaying the payment.

“His Excellency President Trump has declared the reality. Pakistan has never helped or participated in tackling terrorism,” General Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan ministry of Defence, told Reuters.

Jitendra Singh, a junior minister at the Indian Prime Minister’s Office, said Trump’s posturing has “vindicated India’s stand as far as terror is concerned and as far as Pakistan’s role in perpetrating terrorism is concerned”.

But China gave Pakistan its backing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, asked during a regular briefing about Trump’s tweet, did not mention the United States but defended Pakistan’s contributions in counter-terrorism.

“We have said many times that Pakistan has put forth great effort and made great sacrifices in combating terrorism. It has made a prominent contribution to global anti-terror efforts,” he said.

Pakistani officials say tough U.S. measures threaten to push Pakistan further into the arms of China, which has deepened ties with Islamabad after pledging to invest $57 billion in infrastructure as part of its vast Belt and Road initiative.

Analysts say Trump’s tweet signals that the fraught U.S.-Pakistan ties are likely to worsen in 2018.

“The trend lines have not been good, and the tweet gives an indication of the turmoil that awaits in 2018,” said Michael Kugelman, the senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center.
Pakistan's Defence Minister accuses the U.S. of giving Pakistan "nothing but invective & mistrust" after receiving "land & air communication, military bases & intel cooperation that decimated Al-Qaeda over last 16yrs".