WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD — The United States accused Pakistan on Tuesday of playing a "double game" on fighting terrorism and warned Islamabad it would have to do more if it wanted to maintain U.S. aid.

"They can do more to stop terrorism and we want them to do that," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters.

The White House said it would likely announce actions to pressure Pakistan within days, shortly after U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said at the United Nations that Washington would withhold $255 million in assistance to Pakistan.

"There are clear reasons for this. Pakistan has played a double game for years," Haley told reporters. "They work with us at times, and they also harbor the terrorists that attack our troops in Afghanistan.

"That game is not acceptable to this administration. We expect far more cooperation from Pakistan in the fight against terrorism."

The comments followed an angry tweet from President Donald Trump on Monday that the United States had been rewarded with "nothing but lies and deceit" for "foolishly" giving Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years.

"They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" he tweeted.

Pakistan civilian and military chiefs on Tuesday rejected "incomprehensible" U.S. comments and summoned American Ambassador David Hale to explain Trump's tweet.

Relations with Washington have been strained for years over Islamabad's alleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban.

The United States also alleges that senior Afghan Taliban commanders live on Pakistani soil, and has signaled it will cut aid and take other steps if Islamabad does not stop helping or turning a blind eye to Haqqani militants crossing the border to carry out attacks in Afghanistan.

Related: Trump threatens to cut Pakistan aid, says it harbors terrorists

In 2016, Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strike inside Pakistan and in 2011, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. troops in the garrison town of Abbottabad.

At the State Department on Tuesday, spokesman Heather Nauert said Pakistan knows what it needs to do, including taking action against the Haqqani network and other militants.

Pakistan needs to "earn, essentially, the money that we have provided in the past in foreign military assistance," she said.

Islamabad bristles at the suggestion it is not doing enough to fight militants, noting that its casualties at the hands of Islamists since 2001 number in the tens of thousands.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday chaired a National Security Committee meeting of civilian and military chiefs, focusing on Trump's tweet. The meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, was brought forward by a day and followed an earlier meeting of army generals.

The committee, in a statement issued by the prime minister's office, did not name Trump but spoke of "deep disappointment" at a slew of critical comments coming from U.S. officials over the past few months.

"Recent statements and articulation by the American leadership were completely incomprehensible as they contradicted facts manifestly, struck with great insensitivity at the trust between two nations built over generations, and negated the decades of sacrifices made by the Pakistani nation," it said.

On Tuesday evening, Trump tweeted again about Pakistan, but also lashed out similarly at Palestinians, saying: "It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue... ...peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?"</s>Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of “lies & deceit” and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism.

U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the president’s statement, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. Pakistan lodged a strongly worded protest and asked for clarification about Trump’s comments, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Pakistan’s prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trump’s New Year’s Day tweet.

It was the president’s latest broadside against Pakistan after a speech in August in which he demanded its leaders crack down on the safe havens enjoyed by Taliban militants fighting U.S.-backed forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

Advertisement

“The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools,” Trump wrote.

The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018

Trump’s face was plastered across TV channels in Pakistan. Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif went on Geo TV, the country’s biggest news channel, to respond.

“We have already told the U.S. that we will not do more, so Trump’s ‘no more’ does not hold any importance,” Asif said.

Advertisement

He said that Trump was disappointed that the U.S. was losing its 16-year war in Afghanistan and trying to blame Pakistan. He also said Pakistan was “ready to publicly provide every detail of the U.S. aid that it has received.”

Pakistani officials maintain the billions it has received from the U.S. were mainly reimbursements for supporting U.S.-led coalition forces that invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to topple the Taliban regime that sheltered Al Qaeda.

Opposition politician Shireen Mazari called Trump “shameless.”

“We have sacrificed our citizens & soldiers fighting [your] war which we [should] never have done,” Mazari said.

U and ur country r shameless. We have sacrificed our citizens & soldiers fighting ur war which we shd never have done. Keep ur money and Pak govt shd immed implement our Parl resolution demanding Pak stop giving GLOC & ALOC facilities to US. Let's c what u achieve then in Afgh! https://t.co/7bIo00gH9W — Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 1, 2018

Afghan officials have cheered Trump’s tough talk against Pakistan, which Kabul accuses of sponsoring terrorist attacks on Afghan soil. But some analysts say Trump is playing a dangerous game by challenging Pakistan’s security establishment, which many U.S. officials view as essential to forging a peace agreement with the Taliban.

Still, Pakistan has periodically taken steps to show it is cooperating against militants. In October, security forces freed two hostages, including an American woman, held by a Taliban-linked group for five years.

On Monday, Pakistan passed an order prohibiting donations to people and groups under United Nations Security Council sanctions. The move was seen as targeting Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the deadly 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, who runs a high-profile political organization in Pakistan despite a $10-million reward issued by the U.S. for information leading to his conviction.

Advertisement

Special correspondent Sahi reported from Islamabad and Times staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia</s>In the wake of US President Donald Trumps tweet in which he accused Islamabad of "lies and deceit", Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Wednesday

In the wake of US President Donald Trumps tweet in which he accused Islamabad of "lies and deceit", Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Wednesday. The Prime Minister will chair the huddle to discuss the future course of action following the US President's scathing statement against Pakistan, a PM office statement said.

The moot will be attended by Foreign Minister, Interior Minister, Minister for Defence, services chiefs besides, senior civil and military officers, the PM office media wing said. Trump tweeted that the US "foolishly" gave aid to Pakistan over the course of 15 years but Islamabad remained deceitful by providing safe havens to "terrorists" from Afghanistan.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai, National and International news here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go</s>Shahid Khaqan Abbasi would preside over a meeting of the cabinet today. (File photo)</s>In the wake of US President Donald Trumps tweet in which he accused Islamabad of “lies and deceit”, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Wednesday. The Prime Minister will chair the huddle to discuss the future course of action following the US President’s scathing statement against Pakistan, a PM office statement said. The moot will be attended by Foreign Minister, Interior Minister, Minister for Defence, services chiefs besides, senior civil and military officers, the PM office media wing said. Trump tweeted that the US “foolishly” gave aid to Pakistan over the course of 15 years but Islamabad remained deceitful by providing safe havens to “terrorists” from Afghanistan.</s>By Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Jan 2 (PTI) Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will chair Cabinet and the National Security Committee meetings to discuss Pakistan's response to US President Donald Trump's accusation that Islamabad deceived America by sheltering terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid.

Trump yesterday tore into Pakistan accusing it of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for aid over the last 15 years thinking of American leaders as "fools".

In his strongest attack against Pakistan yet, Trump in his first tweet of the year on New Year's day also appeared to suggest he could cut off foreign aid to Pakistan.

The White House later said the US has suspended its USD 255 million military aid to Pakistan, saying the fate of such assistance will depend on Islamabad's decisive action against terrorists.

Radio Pakistan reported that Abbasi would preside over a meeting of the federal cabinet today, which will discuss among other things, national security issue.

Official sources said that Trump's remarks would be the main point of discussion in the meeting.

The cabinet meeting will be followed by the meeting of National Security Committee (NSC) tomorrow. The Prime Minister will chair the NSC moot which will review in detail the security situation of the country and the region.

The meeting will be attended by Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir-Khan, services chiefs and senior civil and military officers.

Sources said that the NSC meeting will help to firm up the final response to the latest accusation by the US.

In August, Trump had accused Pakistan of providing safe havens to terrorists.

Pakistan has been cautious in reacting to the latest remarks by Trump and so far only Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has on the record spoke about it.

"We will respond to President Trump's tweet shortly inshallah...Will let the world know the truth..difference between facts & fiction..," Asif tweeted yesterday. PTI SH NSA .

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.</s>Pakistan summoned the US ambassador in protest against President Donald Trump’s angry tweet about Pakistan’s “lies and deceit”.

David Hale was summoned by the Pakistan foreign office on Monday to explain Trump’s tweet, media said.

A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Islamabad confirmed the meeting took place.

In a withering attack, Trump on Monday said the United States has “foolishly” handed Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid in the last 15 years and had been rewarded with “nothing but lies and deceit”.

“They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, on Tuesday, will chair a cabinet meeting that will focus on Trump’s tweet while, on Wednesday, the country’s top civilian and military chiefs will meet to discuss deteriorating US ties.

Relations between United States and its uneasy ally Pakistan have been strained for many years over Islamabad’s alleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban.

Washington has signaled to Pakistan that it would cut aid and enact other punitive measures if Islamabad did not stop helping or turning a blind eye to the Haqqani network militants who carry out cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.

Islamabad bristles at the suggestion it is not doing enough in the war against militancy, saying that since 2001, Pakistan has suffered more than the United States from militancy as casualties at the hands of Islamists number in the tens of thousands.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja dismissed Trump’s comments as a political stunt borne out of frustration over US failures in Afghanistan, where Afghan Taliban militants have been gaining territory and carrying out major attacks.

“He has tweeted against us (Pakistan) and Iran for his domestic consumption,” Asif told Geo TV, on Monday.

“He is again and again displacing his frustrations on Pakistan over failures in Afghanistan as they are trapped in dead-end street in Afghanistan.”

Asif added that Pakistan did not need US aid.

A US National Security Council official on Monday said the White House did not plan to send 255 million dollars in aid to Pakistan “at this time” and said “the administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation.”

In August, the administration had said it was delaying the payment.</s>ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan summoned the U.S. ambassador in protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s angry tweet about Pakistan’s “lies and deceit”, while Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed the outburst as a political stunt.

David Hale was summoned by the Pakistan foreign office on Monday to explain Trump’s tweet, media said. A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad confirmed the meeting took place.

In a withering attack, Trump on Monday said the United States had “foolishly” handed Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years and had been rewarded with “nothing but lies and deceit”.

“They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump’s harsh words drew praise from Pakistan’s old foe, India, and neighboring Afghanistan, but long-time ally China defended Pakistan’s record of combating “terrorism”.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday will chair a cabinet meeting that will focus on Trump’s tweet, while on Wednesday the country’s top civilian and military chiefs will meet to discuss deteriorating U.S. ties.

Relations between United States and its uneasy ally Pakistan have been strained for many years over Islamabad’s alleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban.

The United States also alleges senior Afghan Taliban commanders live on Pakistani soil. In 2016, the then-Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strike inside Pakistan and in 2011, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. troops in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad.

Washington has signaled to Pakistan that it will cut aid and enact other punitive measures if Islamabad does not stop helping or turning a blind eye to the Haqqani network militants who carry out cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.

Islamabad bristles at the suggestion it is not doing enough in the war against militancy, saying that since 2001, Pakistan has suffered more than the United States from militancy as casualties at the hands of Islamists number in the tens of thousands.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Asif dismissed Trump’s comments as a political stunt borne out of frustration over U.S. failures in Afghanistan, where Afghan Taliban militants have been gaining territory and carrying out major attacks.

“He has tweeted against us (Pakistan) and Iran for his domestic consumption,” Asif told Geo TV on Monday.

“He is again and again displacing his frustrations on Pakistan over failures in Afghanistan as they are trapped in dead-end street in Afghanistan.”

Asif added that Pakistan did not need U.S. aid.

A U.S. National Security Council official on Monday said the White House did not plan to send $255 million in aid to Pakistan “at this time” and said “the administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation.” In August, the administration had said it was delaying the payment.

“His Excellency President Trump has declared the reality. Pakistan has never helped or participated in tackling terrorism,” General Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan ministry of Defence, told Reuters.

Jitendra Singh, a junior minister at the Indian Prime Minister’s Office, said Trump’s posturing has “vindicated India’s stand as far as terror is concerned and as far as Pakistan’s role in perpetrating terrorism is concerned”.

But China gave Pakistan its backing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, asked during a regular briefing about Trump’s tweet, did not mention the United States but defended Pakistan’s contributions in counter-terrorism.

“We have said many times that Pakistan has put forth great effort and made great sacrifices in combating terrorism. It has made a prominent contribution to global anti-terror efforts,” he said.

Pakistani officials say tough U.S. measures threaten to push Pakistan further into the arms of China, which has deepened ties with Islamabad after pledging to invest $57 billion in infrastructure as part of its vast Belt and Road initiative.

Analysts say Trump’s tweet signals that the fraught U.S.-Pakistan ties are likely to worsen in 2018.

“The trend lines have not been good, and the tweet gives an indication of the turmoil that awaits in 2018,” said Michael Kugelman, the senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center.</s>ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned the emergency federal cabinet meeting today (Tuesday) to evolve theÂ the strategy in wake ofÂ US president Donald Trump's latest statement , in which he leveled unfounded allegations on Pakistan. While the National Security Committee (NSC) will meet on Wednesday.

The meeting will discuss the Trumpsâ anti-Pakistan statement, formulating the strategyÂ to tackle the challenges can be facedÂ afterÂ this new controversy. The issues related to countryâs security situation would also be taken into consideration in the meeting.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will chair NSC meeting which would beÂ attended by senior civil and military officials, including the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, services chiefs, ministers of defence, interior, foreign affairs and finance.



Inter-Services Intelligence Director General Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar and National Security Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Janjua are also expectedÂ to attend that crucial meeting.

The meeting would discussÂ the trump's latest tweet in which he accused Islamabad of harboring violent extremists and lying about it. Ongoing military operations on the Pak-Afghan border as well as the internal security situation of the country and the situation along the Line of Control in Kashmir would also be discussed.



According to details, the US President Donald Trump on Monday tweeted that Pakistan has received 33 billion dollars from United States in aid over the last 15 years, and what t gave in returnÂ Â ânothing but lies and deceitâ.



He added thatÂ Islamabad thinks of US leaders âAs Foolsâ.



The US presidentâs streak of unfounded allegations against Pakistan has been a trend since Trump announced the administrationâs latest national security strategy.



Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, in response to a tweet by US President Donald Trump, said that Pakistan has already refused to âdo moreâ for the United States.

It is learnt that soon after Trumpâs tweet came to the fore, Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif called on Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and briefed him on the situation. The prime minister also contacted Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa over telephone and discussed the situation in detail.



Earlier on Monday, commenting on the United States President Donald Trump'statement , Special Assistant to the prime minister, Dr. Musadik Malik said that being a responsible nation Pakistan would respond to Trump's latest tweet in line of international diplomatic norms.</s>ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s angry tweet about Pakistani “lies and deceit”, which Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed as a political stunt.

David Hale was summoned by the Pakistan foreign office on Monday to explain Trump’s tweet, media said. The ministry could not be reached for comment but the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad confirmed on Tuesday that a meeting had taken place.

Trump said the United States had had been rewarded with “nothing but lies and deceit” for “foolishly” giving Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years.

“They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” he tweeted on Monday.

His words drew praise from Pakistan’s old foe, India, and neighbouring Afghanistan, but long-time ally China defended Pakistan.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday chaired a National Security Committee meeting of civilian and military chiefs, focusing on Trump’s tweet. The meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, was brought forward by a day and followed an earlier meeting of army generals.

Relations with Washington have been strained for years over Islamabad’s alleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban.

The United States also alleges that senior Afghan Taliban commanders live on Pakistani soil, and has signalled that it will cut aid and take other steps if Islamabad does not stop helping or turning a blind eye to Haqqani militants crossing the border to carry out attacks in Afghanistan.

In 2016, Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strike inside Pakistan and in 2011, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. troops in the garrison town of Abbottabad.

Islamabad bristles at the suggestion that it is not doing enough to fight Islamist militants, noting that its casualties at the hands of Islamists since 2001 number in the tens of thousands.

Foreign Minister Asif dismissed Trump’s comments as a political stunt born out of frustration over U.S. failures in Afghanistan, where Afghan Taliban militants have been gaining territory and carrying out major attacks.

“He has tweeted against us and Iran for his domestic consumption,” Asif told Geo TV on Monday.

“He is again and again displacing his frustrations on Pakistan over failures in Afghanistan as they are trapped in dead-end street in Afghanistan.”

Asif added that Pakistan did not need U.S. aid.

A U.S. National Security Council official on Monday said the White House did not plan to send an already-delayed $255 million in aid to Pakistan “at this time” and that “the administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation”.

Afghan defence spokesman General Dawlat Waziri said Trump had “declared the reality”, adding that “Pakistan has never helped or participated in tackling terrorism”.

Jitendra Singh, a junior minister at the Indian prime minister’s office, said Trump’s comment had “vindicated India’s stand as far as terror is concerned and as far as Pakistan’s role in perpetrating terrorism is concerned”.

But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, asked during a briefing about Trump’s tweet, did not mention the United States.

“We have said many times that Pakistan has put forth great effort and made great sacrifices in combating terrorism,” he said. “It has made a prominent contribution to global anti-terror efforts.”

Pakistani officials say tough U.S. measures threaten to push Pakistan further into the arms of China, which has pledged to invest $57 billion in Pakistani infrastructure as part of its vast Belt and Road initiative.
Pakistan asks U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale to clarify Trump's remarks. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi calls for Cabinet and National Security Council meetings to discuss the tweet.