US will continue to withhold $255 million in aid to Pakistan for playing double game: Nikki Haley

NewsBharati    03-Jan-2018
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Washington, January 3: Pakistan is famous across the world for harbouring terrorism and terrorists to other nations. Therefore, now Pakistan is all set to face quantum punishment as the United States will withhold $255 million in a military fund to Islamabad.

 

Notably, the US Ambassador the United Nations Nikki Haley on Tuesday confirmed that the Trump administration will withhold $255 million in a military fund to Pakistan. Nikki Haley alleged Pakistan of playing a double game with the United States for years and said it is unacceptable to the Trump administration.

Nikki Haley in a press conference said, “The administration is withholding $255 million in assistance to Pakistan.” “There are clear reasons for this. Pakistan has played a double game for years. They work with us at times, and they also harbor the terrorists that attack our troops in Afghanistan. That game is not acceptable to this administration,” she added.

Haley further warned that Trump could stop all funding to Pakistan. She said, “We expect far more cooperation from Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.” “The president is willing to go to great lengths to stop all funding from Pakistan as they continue to harbor and support terrorism,” Haley noted.

The statement comes a day after US President Donald Trump lashed out at Pakistan on twitter. He 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!”

On the other side in response to Trump’s tweet, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said that his no more claim stands no ground as all aids provided by the US has been accounted for. “Pakistan is ready to publicly provide every detail of the US aid that it has received,” he said.

Interestingly, the US relationship with Pakistan has ebbed and flowed over the course of the war in Afghanistan, getting most tense after U.S. special forces killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011. However, Pakistan denies that it provides safe haven to terrorists, often pointing to the operation launched in 2014 to clear groups such as the Haqqani network from the Waziristan border region with Afghanistan.