Difficult times

Trump’s recent tweet published on the first day of the new year is disappointing. Trump believes that instead of fighting terrorism, Pakistan has used the money received in the form of aid to provide safe havens to terrorists. The statement highlights the fact that the American president is ignoring the sacrifice made by Pakistan in the name of the war on terror. Until now, the country has lost almost 70,000 precious lives in fighting a war which was not its own. In addition, it has spent millions of dollars to bring peace to the region. Therefore, putting the entire blame of the US failure in the Afghan war on Pakistan is entirely unacceptable.

This, however, doesn’t mean that we should reject the tweet altogether. In fact, we should take his words seriously because we have started witnessing what followed the tweet. The US has suspended $255 million worth of military aid to Pakistan. The move highlights the policy shift of the US towards Pakistan. Prior to this famous tweet, Trump had also urged India to play its role in the region. In these difficult times, Pakistan has to make a decision of its own. We should not forget that some other countries also believe that Pakistan provides safe havens to terrorists. It is time we drafted a sound plan to tell the world that we are fighting against terrorism.

Aurangzaib

Okara