Earn the money we give: US tells Pakistan in escalating war of words

Spokesperson of US Department of State - Heather Nauert, has said that Pakistan is aware of what it needs to do to tackle home-grown terror outfits and that it needs to earn the money that is provided by the US.

File photo of Pakistani soldiers.

Charges and accusations have been hurled at a rapid pace between the United States and Pakistan after US President Donald Trump tweeted that his country only got lies and deceit from Islamabad.

In the most recent verbal attack from Washington, spokesperson of US Department of State - Heather Nauert, said that Pakistan needs to earn the money that is provided by the US. "I don’t want to say that Pakistan can do more, but Pakistan knows what it needs to do," she said. "They need to better earn, essentially, the money that we have provided in the past in foreign military assistance, they need to show that they are sincere in their efforts to crack down on terrorists.” 

The Trump administration has already withheld $255 million in military aid - part of a $1.1 billion package approved by US Congress in 2016. Trump in his first tweet of the new year had said that the US has already given $33 billion in aid to Pakistan in over 15 years.

While Nauert emphasised on the need for Pakistan to act against home-grown terrorist outfits, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also said Trump would act on his words. "The President is simply following through on a commitment that he made, because this is a President that does what he says he’s going to do. We know that Pakistan can do more to fight terrorism, and we want them to step up and do that," she said recently.

US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, also accused Pakistan of playing a 'double game.'

The verbal assault has been countered by Pakistan with the country's National Security Committee condemning Trump's remarks. The US ambassador in Islamabad was summoned as well. On Wednesday, the country's Interior Minister said terrorism in South Asia is a result of American policies in the 1970s and 1980s. 

Meanwhile, all-weather ally in China rushed to defend Pakistan. "Pakistan has made enormous efforts and sacrifice for the fight against terrorism and has made an outstanding contribution to the global cause of counter-terrorism. The international community should acknowledge that," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.