Khawaja Asif hits back at US VP Pence for scathing remarks on Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday hit out at US Vice President Mike Pence who during his surprise visit to Kabul issued a warning to Pakistan that it has much to lose by harboring “criminals and terrorists”. 

In a statement on his official Twitter account, the minister said: “Don’t blame or threat us, learn from our experience in war against terror…if that is our common objective.”

He further said: “Frustrations on the diplomatic front in UN & war in Afghanistan are reflected in statements of US administration.”

During his surprise visit to Kabul, the US vice president warned Pakistan that it had been harbouring terrorists for long but those are over.

Echoing Trump’s accusations when he unveiled the new strategy, Pence had sharp words for Pakistan, which he said had provided safe haven to the Taliban and other groups for too long.

“Those days are over,” Pence said. Pakistan had much to gain from partnering with the United States, and much to lose by harboring “criminals and terrorists,” he said at Bagram.

Pence arrived on a military plane at Bagram Airfield under the cover of darkness on Thursday night. He then flew by helicopter to Kabul, where he met President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah at the presidential palace.