ISLAMABAD: Reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning to Pakistan to cut military assistance for “harboring terrorists”, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan demanded that Pakistan must reject being made scapegoat for the policy failures of the United States in Afghanistan.
In a series of tweets, the PTI chief said, “Just as India blames Pakistan for the indigenous Kashmiri uprisings when these are a result of its own failed policy of military repression in IOK (India Occupied Kashmir).”
He continued, “So the US again blames Pakistan for its deeply flawed and failed Afghan policy stretching over a decade.
Khan said, “This should teach Pakistan once and for all a valuable lesson: never to fight others wars for the lure of dollars.”
He further said, “We fought two wars in Afghanistan at the US behest paying heavy human and economic costs both times. We sacrificed 70000 Pak lives in US WOT (War on Terror).”
The PTI chief said, “Our economy suffered over $100 billion in losses. In addition, there were intangible costs on our society. Time for Pak to say: Never again.”
“We must also reject being made scapegoats for the policy failures of the US and India.”
Donald Trump has committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan, signaling he would dispatch more troops to America’s longest war and vowing “a fight to win”.
Trump insisted that others – the Afghan government, Pakistan, India and NATO allies – step up their own commitment to resolving the 16-year conflict, but he saved his sharpest words for Pakistan.
Senior U.S. officials warned security assistance for Pakistan could be reduced unless the nuclear-armed nation cooperated more in preventing militants from using safe havens on its soil. NNI