FO welcomes Trump statement seeking ‘great relationship’ with new Pakistani leadership

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday said the recent statement by US President Donald Trump indicates he has distanced himself from his year-old tweet rebuking Pakistan.

In a weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said: ‘We welcome the positive development on the matter.’

Earlier in the day, Trump said he looked forward to meeting the new leadership in Pakistan, underlining that his country wants a “great relationship” with the long-time ally. Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, Trump was of the view that a meeting with the new leadership in Pakistan would be held soon.

Trump had announced a cut in aid to Pakistan in his hard-hitting tweet on Jan 1, 2018, saying: “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!”

The FO spokesperson said the foreign minister visited Afghanistan in view of the Pakistan’s policy of developing peaceful relationship with all the countries.

Dr. Faisal said the neighbouring countries appreciated endorsed Pakistan’s proposals for Afghan peace process.

To a question regarding Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav case, the FO spokesperson refrained from commenting, saying the matter was pending in the honourable court.

He also condemned India’s state terrorism in the occupied Kashmir and killing of unarmed civilians. “India must allow observers of the United Nations to record their assessment.”

Trump’s about-turn on Pakistan

Last month on Dec 3, Trump wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, seeking Pakistan’s help in bringing Taliban leadership to the negotiation table.

In the letter, Trump sought assistance from Pakistan in resolving the Afghan issue, aimed at ending the 17-year invasion of Afghanistan by US troops. Lambasting Pakistan, he also alleged that America paid billions of dollars to Pakistan but was never told about Osama bin Laden hiding there.

“Of course we should have captured Osama Bin Laden long before we did. I pointed him out in my book just BEFORE the attack on the World Trade Center. President Clinton famously missed his shot. We paid Pakistan Billions of Dollars & they never told us he was living there. Fools!

Taking a jibe at Trump’s absurd statement against Pakistan, PM Khan said, the Trump administration should carry out a serious assessment pertaining to why the Taliban are stronger in Afghanistan than before instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for US failures.

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