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“Trump tweet on Pakistan’s duplicitous position over the past 15 years is vindication that the war on terror is not in bombing Afghan villages and homes but in the sanctuaries beyond Afghanistan,” Hamid Karzai
By Mansoor Faizy
KABUL: Donald Trump, the US president in his first tweet of the year 2018, strongly slammed Pakistan, saying the country has given US nothing but lies and deceit. This tweet has widely welcomed in Afghanistan, as Afghan leaders, including the former President Hamid Karzai welcomed Trump’s call for Pakistan to ramp up cooperation on counterterrorism measures. This was also welcomed and supported among freedom movements in Pakistan. Sindhudesh, free Baluchistan, Pashtoonistan, greater Afghanistan freedom activists and lobbyists, and activists from Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan widely welcomed Trumps standpoint against Pakistan.
“The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools,” Trump tweeted. “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!”
The tweet surfaced when the US is considering withholding more than $250 million in aid that it delayed releasing to Islamabad in August.
The move is being considered due to Pakistan’s perceived failure to crack down more effectively on terror groups, the New York Times reports.
In a tweet, ex-President Hamid Karzai hailed Trump’s position on Pakistan’s double-dealing on the scourge of terrorism over the past 15 years.
“President Donald Trump tweet on Pakistan’s duplicitous position over the past 15 years is vindication that the war on terror is not in bombing Afghan villages and homes but in the sanctuaries beyond Afghanistan. I welcome today’s clarity in President Trump’s remarks and propose a joint US – regional coalition to pressurize the Pakistan military establishment to bring peace to not just Afghanistan but the entire region,” Karzai twitted.
Karzai for longtime has remained critic to US over what he believes that US is not fighting insurgents in their main havens and that’s beyond Afghan villages and mountains. And today, the US exactly talking the same way as Karzai, blaming Pakistan for providing safe sanctuaries to those insurgents fighting Afghan and foreign forces in Afghanistan. In the past, in several occasions, Karzai said if US want to win war on terror, it should chase it beyond Afghanistan. Now, Trump administration has taken the right track to chase militant outfits and their state sponsor.
Pakistan was on top of Trump’s mind first thing in the New Year—amazing way of judgment, showing his (Trump) administration is much more committed to eliminate terrorist hideouts in Pakistan.
From very beginning, Trump had called for tougher measure against Pakistan if it did not cooperate with the US in the fight against terrorism.
“We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond,” Trump said in his South Asia Policy speech.
Furthermore, in December, the Pentagon warned Pakistan of unilateral action if Islamabad did not act. Before Christmas in a surprise visit to Afghanistan, Vice President Mike Pence had said that Trump has put Pakistan on notice.
“For too long Pakistan has provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organizations, but those days are over,” Pence told American troops in Afghanistan.
Both—Amrullah Saleh, and Rahmatullah Nabil, former spy-chiefs welcomed Trump’s approach against Pakistan. “Thank you President Trump. Afghanistan suffered a lot and paid very high cost because of Pakistan’s lies and deceit,” Nabil tweeted.
To back Trump’s position against hostile neighbor—Pakistan, Saleh tweeted: “Excellency POTUS we needed a reason to celebrate the new year. You gave it to us. Thanks from bottom of our hearts proud to be your partner & ally on war against terror. You have finally acknowledged the roots & source of the problem. We are with you. Truth must prevail & it will.”
The former spy-head Saleh—who always said that Pakistan is giving pain to the US for not being sincere with the country’s fight against insurgents, further said, “Dear Pakistani Establishment: President Trump is neither Indian or Afghan nor R&AW or NDS or Northern Alliance. He is the US President & has acknowledged the truth that Pakistan is State sponsoring terrorism. Think of a new narrative & strategy as the old one has faltered.”
This tweet of Trump, has given some hope that finally the terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan soil will be bombarded soon. Once hideouts demolished, the militant outfits could not persist a week. Eventually, not Afghanistan and regional countries, but the world will be freed from menace of terrorism.
Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghan ambassador to the US, has also welcomed Trump’s latest warning to Pakistan over terrorist safe havens as a promising message to Afghanistan
“A promising message to Afghans who have suffered at the hands of terrorists based in Pakistan for far too long,” Mohib said in tweet welcoming Trump’s tweet warning to Pakistan.
“POTUS is right on Pakistan. Success in Afghanistan in war against terror requires a change in policy of Pakistan which pretends to be a partner but behaves as an enemy. Pakistani double game must stop. Time to shift to a coercive strategy,” Zalmay Khalilzad, former US ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and Author of the ‘The Envoy’, tweeted.
“Donald Trump said what every single Afghan & Indian have been saying for the last 16 years to stop feeding this snake, Pakistan has turned into bad disease & the disease need to be eliminated, it cannot be cured,” Maiwand Afghan, Afghan Air Worrier, NDS ANA Loy Afghanistan twitted.
This time nothing can save Pakistan from American wrath. At somehow, Pakistan continues to be defiant after increasing pressure from Trump administration, believing its patrons such as Saud Arabia and other allies in the region will keep running to help and advice the country to survive. But this time ground situation seems different.
Alongside Afghan officials, Sindhudesh, free Baluchistan, Pashtoonistan freedom activists, greater Afghanistan activists and activists from Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan have also welcomed this tweet.
In spit they could face evil discrimination of Pakistani military establishment, they raised their voices and supported Trump’s tougher approach towards Pakistan, harboring terrorist outfits against its neighbors (Afghanistan) and the US.
Leaders from Balochistan welcomed the United States statement against Pakistan, and have expressed hope that it is just no a pressure building measure.
“Baloch people see US President Donald Trump’s statement, cutting aid to Pak as a very positive development, hope it is not just a pressure building measure against Pakistan but a true realization,” said Baloch Republican Party leader, Abdul Nawaz Bugti.
“What? This is undeclared #PakArmy war to expel U.S. forces from Afghanistan & then occupy it. To win war it needs operation like Saddam`s Iraq & divide Pakistan into four parts,” Khan Jan Baloch, a freelance writer, human rights activists and freedom seeker for Baloch, has tweeted.
“I wish you and all Americans a very happy new year. Thank you for speaking the truth against the terrorist state of Panjabis,” Mahbooba, a free Pashtunistan and Loy Afghanistan activist, studying in Denmark twitted in support of Trump’s tougher approach on Pakistan for being harboring and supporting various terrorist groups.
“President Trump you r 100 % right in what you said in your first tweet of 2018. We endorse what you said in your tweet regarding war against terror by Pakistan. Hope you will also raise Dr. Shakeel Afridi issue,” Zar Ali Khan Afridi, human rights defender working for FATA people tweeted.
“I, as Pashtun from FATA and Pashtun homeland endorse President Trump statement/tweet regarding war on terror in FATA and Pashtun homeland by Pakistan where only lies and deception being played and used poor and innocent people as fuel of cannon,” he added.
“US says gave $33b in 15 years, Pak claims spent $123b in the same period..that is $156b spent on death, devastation displacement & destruction of Pakhtuns living on both sides of the divide-worst victims of the two establish deceitful double games-#GoodBadTaliban Policy,” Bushra Gohar, Central Vice President, Awami National Party, Former Member of Parliament, tweeted.
“Another slap on Pakistan’s face. After US president Donald Trump, former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai exposes Pak double game on terror. Terror safe havens are in Pakistan. India has been saying this all along. Pak being named & shamed by world leaders. Shameless Terroristan,” Gaurav C Sawant, Executive Editor in IndianToday, tweeted.
“The military aid given to the Pakistani Army has been used for human rights abuses in Balochistan, Sindh and KP. Hundreds of innocent Baloch, Sindhi and Pashtun are killed and thousands of picked up by LeAs instead to hunt the terrorists,” Tanveer Arian, Political & Security Analyst, Columnist, tweeted.
It is very tough to cover all the tweets in favor of President Donald Trump, and its realistic approach against Pakistan. We should not forget that Trump’s tweet about Pakistan has got more likes and retweets than any of his tweet.
The tweet has so far gotten 247,000 likes and has been retweeted more than 83,000 times. Trump’s twitter account has more than 63,000 tweets. It has more than 45 million followers.
The credit also goes to the wise foreign policy of the Afghan government in the past 16 years that grape the attention of US Administration and go for the key root of terrorism which is exist in Pakistan.
The sacrifices of the Afghan people and security forces have resulted into better understanding of the region and its problem. A large number of Afghan military and civilian have martyred at the hand of terrorists that has been enjoying safe hideouts in Pakistan.
Trump’s assails on Pakistan over terrorist sanctuaries has given a promising message to Afghanistan in order to remain optimistic about violence-free future. But such statement should not be remained in paper or tweets only. The vast majority around the world liked and retweeted Trump’s tweet—the aim of those peoples were to show support for Trump’s policy against terrorists and its state sponsor.
There is no denying to the fact that Taliban, Hqqani Network, Daesh and other extremist groups, benefit from support from elements of the Pakistan government.
We should not forget that Pakistan has been changing from a state sponsoring terrorist to a state run by terrorist. Hafi Saeed, the leader of Jamaat-ud-Dawa group, which has been designed as a terrorist group by the US and is widely considered a front group for Laskhar-e-Taiba terror group, launched a new political party recently.
Saeed was masterminded of Mumbai’s 2008 terrorist attacks that killed 166 people, including six Americans. The US government has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest. But he is now in a political race in Pakistan.
Noting this, President Trump is in right track against Pakistan. Islamabad must step up to the plate and do more to eradicate safe havens for extremist on its soil.
For decades, Pakistan’s establishment has treated extremist groups as assets against rival nations, deeply wind in such believe that the enemy’s foe is a friend.
This is very deadly thinking, we the Afghan government and masses welcoming tough approach of US against Pakistan to shun its project of supporting terrorists. After 2018 tweet, President Trump made lots of people around the globe optimistic regarding fully elimination of terrorist hideouts in Pakistan.
The writer is Afghanistan Time’s Editor-in-Chief, and member of Rana Think Tank—could reach at [email protected]
