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Pak lost over $123 bn by joining US war on terror; aid received was minuscule: Imran Khan on Trump's tirade

WION Web Team
Delhi, IndiaWritten By: Anas MallickUpdated: Nov 19, 2018, 06:01 PM IST
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File photo: Pakistan PM Imran Khan. Photograph:(AFP)

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Khan's comments came after US President tweeted out slamming Pakistan for not doing "a damn thing" for America in curbing terrorism.  

 

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday reacted to Donald Trump's latest tirade on Islamabad. In a series of tweets, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf chief stated that "no Pakistani was involved in 9/11 but Pak decided to participate in US war on terror."

Khan's comments came after US President tweeted out slamming Pakistan for not doing "a damn thing" for America in curbing terrorism.  

Trump's remark angered Pak leaders, including the Prime Minister who launched a scathing attack on the US President stating that "record needs to be put straight on Mr Trump's tirade against Pakistan."

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Pakistan's Prime Minister said "Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties" by participating in US war against terror, "over $123 billion was lost to the economy. US "aid" was a minuscule $20 billion," Khan tweeted out. 

"Our tribal areas were devastated and millions of people were uprooted from their homes. The war drastically impacted lives of ordinary Pakistanis. Pak continues to provide free lines of ground and air communications (GLOCs/ALOCs). Can Mr Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?" Khan's tweet read. 

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Pak Prime Minister added that the United States is making Pakistan "a scapegoat of their failures." He asked Washington to "do a serious assessment" on why Taliban is stronger than  ever "despite 140,000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops and reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan."

Khan's remarks came shortly after his Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari slammed US President Donald Trump saying he "suffers conveniently from perpetual historic amnesia!"

"Trump's tirade against Pak and his claim that that Pak does not do 'a damn thing' for the US shd be a lesson for those Pak ldrs who kept appeasing the US esp after 9/11! The renditions; the loss of Pak lives in US WoT (war on terrorism); the free space for Raymond Davis & other operatives; etc etc," Mazari tweeted.

The developments come after a high-level meeting at Pakistan's foreign office after comments of US President.

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Trump, on Sunday, defended his administration's decision to stop hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Pakistan for not doing enough to curb terrorism and criticised Islamabad for offering a hideout to Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in the garrison city of Abbottabad. 

The US president in an interview to FOX had slammed Pakistan due terror inaction and justified aid cut. He had said,"And we give Pakistan $1.3 billion a year . ... [bin Laden] 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."

The relationship between the 2 former allies have deteriorated and it believed it beyond the point of return. US President Donald Trump didn't also call Imran Khan after being elected a PM of Pakistan. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had visited for few hours after Imran Khan took oath and has been asking Pakistan to do more on the issue terror.

The development comes even has ties been US and Pakistan's arch-rival India has increased. Indian PM Modi met US Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of 13th east Asia summit and discussed terror. PM Modi is likely to meet US President Trump on the sidelines of G20 in Argentina later this month.