Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday said that Pakistan can survive without taking aid from the United States as it survived in the past [when US had suspended assistance to Pakistan].
Talking to Geo News, Asif elaborated that it is not the first time [when US has threatened to suspend the financial assistance to Pakistan]. Referring to the Pressler Amendment, he said, "They did it in the past as well, which is evident from our history. They have always betrayed us in hard times."
The remarks came days after US President Donald Trump accused Pakistan of giving Washington "nothing but lies and deceit". Trump had said Washington had "foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years", but Pakistan had in return given "safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help".
Foreign Minister Asif held both the US and India responsible for the prevailing unrest in the region, saying that the "instability in the region suits both the US and India."
"There is a nexus between the US and India, they share the same stakes," Asif said, adding that "the US wants to use India like they used Pakistan in the past, or maybe a step further".
The minister said Washinton and New Dehli believe the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project was posing threats to their interests. "The US and India have constituted a joint front against the CPEC," he maintained.
Asif declared that US have suffered huge losses in Afghanistan.
There is no organised presence of terrorists on Pakistani soil, he said, adding that the reduced number of drone attacks is a proof of this.
"China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, and Iran expressed complete solidarity with us after August 21 speech of US President Trump," he said. "We are not diplomatically isolated."
