1/2/2018

PAKISTAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A tweet by President Trump has Pakistan responding angrily to accusations that it has accepted billions of dollars in aid from the United States while failing to act against terrorist networks within its borders.
Mr. Trump, in a tweet on Monday [1-1-18], accused Pakistan of deceit and lies and said that Pakistan gives ‘safe haven to terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help.’…
Later that day, Pakistan’s foreign affairs minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, dismissed Mr. Trump’s Twitter outburst as having ‘no importance.’
David Hale, the American ambassador, was summoned late Monday to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, the capital, and a diplomatic protest was lodged, Pakistani officials said.
Coverage of Mr. Trump’s comments has dominated the Pakistani news media, and an emergency session of the country’s National Security Council was to be held on Tuesday to allow top civilian and military leaders to prepare a response. Local news outlets reported that military officials would give briefings about steps taken against militants.
Mr. Trump’s post and Pakistan’s response point to a nose-dive in the relationship between the United States and Pakistan, which has become deeply strained in recent months. In several recent high-profile visits, United States officials have repeatedly expressed frustration over Pakistan’s failure to confront terrorist networks within its borders. But Pakistani officials say they have done more than enough.”

-Salman Masood, “Pakistan Summons U.S. Diplomat After Trump’s Tweet Stirs Outrage,” The New York Times online, Jan. 2, 2018