Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday said that Pakistan can survive without taking aid from the United States as it survived in the past.
Talking to a private TV channel, the foreign minister elaborated that it is not the first time. 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.”
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 “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.
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.”
Asif said the United States is not a friend of Pakistan and the country needs to revisit its ties with Washington. “The US behaviour is neither that of an ally nor of a friend,” Asif said. “It is a friend who always betrays.”
The minister further said that in case of any aggression by the US, Pakistan would respond in a manner that would reflect the nation’s will.
Asked if his recent tweets were in a personal capacity or were as the foreign minister, the minister said his tweets represent the state’s response as long as he is not asked by the leadership to limit issuing such statements.
The foreign minister maintained that there is always a difference between an individual’s and institutional reactions, adding that if the parliament responds to the allegations then it should be “closer to the public sentiment.”
“If the parliament adopts a resolution on the issue, it should be closer to the public sentiment,” Asif said. “This is a national issue and a matter of our dignity.”
Responding to a question regarding allegations by US National Security Advisor McMaster, he said, “I met McMaster and he told me that ‘you make promises, but don’t keep them, and our trust level is quite low’.”
“I told him we don’t have any trust level given what you did to us in the past 20-30 years,” the minister said, adding the meeting, which lasted for less than half an hour, got over in the same tone.