Trump alleges Pakistan has done nothing for US

WASHINGTON: Defending his administration’s decision to halt “Pakistan’s aid”, US President Donald Trump on Sunday alleged that Pakistan had done nothing for the United States of America, ARY News reported.

In an interview to an American news channel, he also accused Pakistan of sheltering the then al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

He said America had asked Pakistan to curb terrorism in Afghanistan, which was not complied.

“And we gave Pakistan $1.3 billion a year… [but bin Laden] lived in there, we’re supporting Pakistan, we’re giving them $1.3 billion a year –which we don’t give them anymore, by the way, I ended it because they don’t do anything for us, they don’t do a damn thing for us,” he claimed while talking to the news channel.

Read More: US massively cuts Pakistan’s security aid, ends conditions

In September the following year, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said the military aid suspension to Pakistan was not taken lightly by the Trump administration.

Bolton said the war against terrorism was a matter of extraordinary importance to America.

Bolton was quoted as saying by the Financial Express that the US wanted Pakistan to cooperate fully in the war against terrorism. “It was before my time, but the Trump administration did not take the decision to cancel a substantial part of the military aid package to Pakistan lightly,” he said.

“It was done knowing full well that Pakistan is a nuclear weapons state, and the risk that the government could fall into the hands of terrorists…” In January, US President Donald Trump suspended most of military aid to Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of allowing the Taliban to use its territory for attacks in Afghanistan.