ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday welcomed the positive indication by US President Donald Trump pertaining to seeking a “great relationship” with the new Pakistani leadership.
“We welcome the positive development on the matter,” said FO spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal while answering a question during the weekly press briefing. “This indicates that the US president has distanced itself from his year old tweet rebuking Pakistan.”
Earlier, Trump said he was looking forward to meeting the long time ally’s new leadership in Pakistan.
“A meeting with the new Pakistani leadership would be held soon,” he said.
https://arynews.tv/en/trump-will-meet-new-leadership-in-pakistan-soon/
It is pertinent to note that the United States, on the directives of Trump, had announced a cut in aid to Pakistan. “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!”
Highlighting Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s recent visit to Afghanistan, Dr faisal said the foreign minister visited Afghanistan in view of Pakistan’s policy of developing a peaceful relationship with all the countries.”Neighbouring countries appreciated and endorsed Pakistan’s proposals for the Afghan peace process.”
The FO spokesperson refrained from commenting on Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav’s case, adding that the matter is pending in the honorable court.
He also condemned India’s state terrorism in the occupied Kashmir and the killing of unarmed civilians. “India must allow observers of the United Nations to record their assessment.”
Responding to US President Trump’s remarks, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said peace in Pakistan is directly linked to Afghanistan and the United States is pivotal for stability in the neighbouring country.
“Matters will move forward if US understands Pakistan’s importance,” he added. “Regional stability depends on Pak-US ties.”
Trump’s U-turn on Pakistan
Last year, on Dec 3, Trump wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, seeking Pakistan’s help in bringing the Taliban leadership to the negotiation table.
In the letter, Trump sought assistance from Pakistan in resolving the Afghan issue, aimed at ending the 17-year invasion of Afghanistan by US troops. Lambasting Pakistan, he also alleged that America paid billions of dollars to Pakistan but was never told about Osama bin Laden hiding there.
“Of course we should have captured Osama Bin Laden long before we did. I pointed him out in my book just BEFORE the attack on the World Trade Center. President Clinton famously missed his shot. We paid Pakistan Billions of Dollars & they never told us he was living there. Fools!
Taking a jibe at Trump’s absurd statement against Pakistan, PM Khan said, the Trump administration should carry out a serious assessment pertaining to why the Taliban are stronger in Afghanistan than before instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for US failures.
 said the recent statement by US President Donald Trump indicates he has distanced himself from his year-old tweet rebuking Pakistan.){kind=link}