Trump threatens to cut Pak aid, but Pak also has an ace or two up its sleeve | The Indian Express

Trump threatens to cut Pak aid, but Pak also has an ace or two up its sleeve | The Indian Express

Trump threatens to cut Pak aid, but Pak also has an ace or two up its sleeve

The US aid cut threat, however, is not new. Nor has Pakistan failed to threaten the US in return, as it did when it blockaded all movement of US and NATO trucks for seven months from November 2011-July 2012, after 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in an US raid.

Written by Jyoti Malhotra | New Delhi | Published: January 2, 2018 6:41 pm

President Donald Trump (Source: AP Photo)

US President Donald Trump’s first tweet of 2018, accusing Pakistan of “lies and deceit” and giving “safe haven to terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan” may bring smiles of vindication to the Modi government, but it might be wise to hold off the bubbly and see how things unfold, especially if the past is any guide to the complex US-Pakistan relationship.

Over the weekend, the ‘New York Times’ reported that the Trump administration was “contemplating withholding” $225 million in aid meant for military training and equipment to Pakistan, if it didn’t hand over a Haqqani Network operative who kidnapped an American-Canadian couple and held them hostage for close to five years.