Pakistan hits back at Trump’s terrorist claims

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US President Donald Trump is facing a storm of criticism from Pakistan after he accused the South Asian country of insincerity in the fight against terror.

All Pakistanis appears to be on the same page that the US must respect the nation's sovereignty and address its security concerns, after Trump cast blame on Pakistan earlier this week while unveiling his policy review of the Afghan war.

The US president announced that US troops would remain in Afghanistan without a timetable for withdrawal. The review was broadly controversial, with Trump’s announcement that US troops will remain in Afghanistan without a timetable for withdrawal being labelled unrealistic and dangerous.

Pakistani Senator Sherry Rehman praised China for its support. /AFP Photo‍

He also accused Pakistan of being duplicitous in its financial dealings with the US.

“There is a broad consensus on this issue, Pakistan rejects the accusations,” Pakistani Senator Sherry Rehman told CGTN on Friday.

The country has made it clear that relations should be sustained by respect, not financial aid, she added.

Blame game

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting", Trump declared when announcing his policy review.

A Pakistani resident watches his tablet device in Islamabad on August 22, 2017, showing a live broadcast of US President Donald Trump delivering his address from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia in the US. /AFP Photo

"It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace".

Pakistani defense analyst and retired general Amjad Shoaib told CGTN that Trump's Afghanistan strategy has not addressed any of Pakistan's regional security concerns, and that it is not justified to label Pakistan a terrorist harbor when notorious terrorists have been found holed up elsewhere locally.

"If Trump is referring to some unknown individuals, they could be in any country,” he said, citing the capture of the Haqqani networks' number two Anas Haqqani in Qatar.

Strong-worded rebuke

Pakistan issued a stern official response to Trump on Thursday.

The country's National Security Committee (NSC) “outright rejected” the allegations, saying the “Afghan war cannot be fought in Pakistan”.

In this handout photograph released by Pakistan's Press Information Department (PID) on August 24, 2017, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (L) heads a meeting of the National Security Committee in Islamabad. /AFP Photo

The NSC also set conditions for future counterterrorism cooperation with the US and Afghanistan, saying the country remains dedicated to international efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan, but it also wants its concerns to be addressed, including the primary issue of sanctuaries on Afghan soil for terrorists attacking Pakistan.

All-weather friend

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif was scheduled to visit the US for bilateral talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson next week, but the appointment has now been postponed in the wake of the row.

Asif will reportedly instead set off on a tour of friendly nations, beginning with China.

China was quick to offer support to Pakistan in the face of Trump’s allegations.

The US must appreciate Pakistan's role in Afghanistan and respect its security concerns, top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi told Tillerson in a phone call on Thursday.

And Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday reaffirmed Beijing's support to Pakistan during a meeting with Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, according to media reports in Pakistan.

Speaking of Chinese support, Senator Rehman told CGTN, it "is not only pivotal but will also be remembered as a pillar of support for Pakistan when a superpower questioned its intent against terrorism and belittled its sacrifice."

Thousands of members of the public in Pakistan have taken to the Internet to criticize the US and praise China for its support.

Pakistani residents read newspapers with a front page headline about US President Donald Trump at a stall in Islamabad on August 23, 2017. /AFP Photo

Netizens wrote "Thank you China" and 'Long live Pakistan-China friendship".

Many called on Pakistan to work with China on the issue of Afghanistan, with some saying Trump is targeting Pakistan because of its relations with China.

India effect

Trump also praised India's "important contributions to stability in Afghanistan" in his policy review, calling on New Delhi to play a larger role.

More threats followed from Tillerson and the National Security Council spokesman.

The Pakistan NSC expressed its reservations about the role assigned to India in the new regional policy. It said on Thursday that India “cannot be a net provider of security”, reflecting concerns that India with its new role would work to intensify Pakistan’s security concerns.

Amjad Shoaib told CGTN that the US wants to threaten the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor by creating instability in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan with Indian help.

According to an editorial in Pakistani weekly The Friday Times, "Pakistan is part of the problem for the US because India is part of its solution against China, while China is part of the solution for Pakistan because India is part of the problem for it.”