Trump and Pakistani leader face off on Twitter – By Alena Sadiq (politico.com) / Nov 19 2018
President Donald Trump has defended his administration’s decision to cut off aid to Pakistan, berating the country for not doing “a damn thing for us.” In an interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace that aired on Sunday, Trump pointed to Osama bin Laden’s presence in Pakistan as proof.
On Monday, the country’s prime minister, Imran Khan, fired back, telling the president on Twitter that he “needs to be informed about historical facts.”
In a series of tweets, Khan said that U.S. aid to Pakistan was a “miniscule” $20 billion, while the country lost 75,000 people and more than $123 billion fighting the “US War on Terror.” He also pointed to the supply routes Pakistan provides to American forces. “Can Mr Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?”
The president responded with tweets of his own, reiterating that Pakistan is one of many nations that took money from the United States but gave nothing in return.
The alliance between the United States and Pakistan has always been tenuous, but tensions have increased since Trump’s election. The administration suspended most of its military aid to Pakistan at the beginning of this year for its failure to act against terrorist groups.
The U.S. also excluded Pakistani officers from the International Military Education and Training Program and was successful in getting Pakistan back on the global Financial Action Task Force’s gray list, which includes countries that have failed to curb terrorist financing.
The United States has long complained about Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies playing a double game in the region, protecting some militant groups while taking on others. Pakistan has consistently denied these allegations but also maintained that its top priority is to protect its own strategic interest, which is believed to include keeping relationships with proxy forces that can aid Pakistan in a fight against India. Pakistanis also are quick to point to America’s own unholy alliances, including its support for the Taliban’s forebears in Afghanistan.
Here’s the full exchange between the two leaders.
President Trump on FOX News:
“Frankly, wouldn’t it have been nice if we got Osama bin Laden a lot sooner than that? Wouldn’t it have been nice? Think of this, living in Pakistan, beautifully in Pakistan in what I guess they considered a nice mansion — I don’t know, I’ve seen nicer — but living in Pakistan, right next to the military academy. Everybody in Pakistan knew he was there. And we give Pakistan $1.3 billion a year and they don’t tell him, they don’t tell him for years?”
“He lived in Pakistan. 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.”
Khan responded Monday morning on Twitter:
Record needs to be put straight on Mr Trump's tirade against Pakistan: 1. No Pakistani was involved in 9/11 but Pak decided to participate in US War on Terror. 2. Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war & over $123 bn was lost to economy. US "aid" was a miniscule $20 bn.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 19, 2018
3. Our tribal areas were devastated & millions of ppl uprooted from their homes. The war drastically impacted lives of ordinary Pakistanis. 4. Pak continues to provide free lines of ground & air communications(GLOCs/ALOCs).Can Mr Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 19, 2018
Instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for their failures, the US should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops & reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 19, 2018
Trump then sent out his own set of tweets:
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!..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2018
….We no longer pay Pakistan the $Billions because they would take our money and do nothing for us, Bin Laden being a prime example, Afghanistan being another. They were just one of many countries that take from the United States without giving anything in return. That’s ENDING!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2018
An hour later, Khan responded with a final tweet:
Trump’s false assertions add insult to the injury Pak has suffered in US WoT in terms of lives lost & destabilised & economic costs. He needs to be informed abt historical facts. Pak has suffered enough fighting US's war. Now we will do what is best for our people & our interests
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 19, 2018
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/19/trump-pakistan-twitter-osama-bin-laden-1005556
