- Khawaja Asif says in case of another cold war, Pakistan will not side with any country
KARACHI: Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan will no longer take any sides in the war of other countries.
While speaking to a local media outlet, the federal minister said that Pakistan only bore losses and gained nothing after allying with the United States during the Cold War.
The US has never treated Pakistan as an ally, he said, adding, “The US has not threatened or put sanctions on any other country as it has on Pakistan in the last 40 to 50 years.”
Asif said, “We are fighting the war against terrorism and will no longer pick sides in any conflict.” In case of another cold war, Pakistan will not side with any country, he shared.
The foreign minister speculated that there is a possibility of another cold war between Russia and US, given the current tensions between the two countries.
Asif, while talking about the presence of Daesh in Afghanistan, said the terrorist outfit has not been wiped out but has only changed its address.
The foreign minister said Pakistan did not take part in the Yemen war, adding that it wants Iran and Saudi Arabia to end their differences.
On March 9, Asif had informed the National Assembly (NA) that the US is bent upon making Pakistan its proxy state, adding that Pakistan will never become a proxy of the US.
He had further said that Pakistan believes in a functioning relationship with the US based on mutual respect and trust, which is in the interest of the region.
Khawaja Asif had asserted that Pakistan will only protect its own interest from now.
Tensions between the two countries have heightened after US President Donald Trump’s New Year tweet in which he had accused Pakistan of giving Washington “nothing but lies and deceit”, announcing that the country will not get any aid in future. He tweeted that Islamabad thinks of US leaders “as fools”.