Imran Khan hits back at Donald Trump over Pakistan doesn't do 'damn thing' comment

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday hit back at US President Donald Trump after his remarks that Islamabad doesn’t “do a damn thing” for the United States despite billions of dollars in US aid for the South Asian nation. Trump, during a Fox News TV interview aired 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.

“Instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for their failures, the US should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140,000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops & reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before,” Khan tweeted.

Instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for their failures, the US should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops & reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 19, 2018

In the interview, Trump 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.”

"Record needs to be put straight on Mr Trump's tirade against Pakistan," Khan, said in a series of tweets defending his country's record in the US-led war on terror.

Record needs to be put straight on Mr Trump's tirade against Pakistan: 1. No Pakistani was involved in 9/11 but Pak decided to participate in US War on Terror. 2. Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war & over $123 bn was lost to economy. US "aid" was a miniscule $20 bn.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 19, 2018

He said that Pakistan decided to "participate in the US War on Terror" although no Pakistani was involved in the 9/11 attacks.

"Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war and over USD 123 billion was lost," he said, of which "US 'aid' was a miniscule USD 20bn", Khan said.

The relations between the two countries deteriorated   after Trump slammed Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists.

In September, the Trump administration cancelled USD 300 million in military aid to Pakistan for not doing enough against terror groups like the Haqqani Network and Taliban active in its country.

(With PTI inputs)