ISLAMABAD: In light of the US decision to cut nearly all American security aid to Pakistan, the country’s defence minister has announced that Islamabad will begin purchasing more weapons from China, Russia and other Eastern European countries.
“We have a long relationship with the US and we want to keep it,” Khurram Dastgir Khan assured Bloomberg in an interview, before adding that his country would, nonetheless, increasingly acquire weapons from countries other than the US.
Relations between Pakistan and the US have deteriorated rapidly since August when Trump began accusing Pakistan of taking aid while simultaneously supporting armed groups that attack US forces and allies in Afghanistan. The tension reached a high point in early January when Trump began accusing Pakistan of accepting billions in US aid without giving anything in return.
Foreign Affairs Minister Khawaja Asif accused Trump of lying about the amount of aid the US gives Pakistan. Days later, the Trump administration announced that it would cut all security funding until Pakistan begins cracking down on the activities of the Taliban on its territory and in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has been increasingly turning to China for military aid. Beijing is now building an offshore naval base near a strategic Pakistani port.
Experts say it is typical for Pakistan to turn to other world powers when its relationship with the US sours, but Trump’s harsh rhetoric towards Pakistan is out of the ordinary.
Khurram Dastgir also said suggested that Pakistan could play a role in brokering peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
No you will go to USA again
Beggar wants to buy arms with no money…or maybe china will donate arms to beggars
Who could be bigger beggars than India, who has chosen to sacrifice their national dignity and honour to the Americans for mere peanuts. Incidentally, the Americans still owe us a lot of money for the aeroplanes they had to deliver to us, and Pakistan has paid for them in advance. Besides they have reneged on the bilateral agreement, whereby they have to pay Pakistan large sums of money for using Pakistan’s infrastructural facilities for maintaining their forces in Afghanistan. I may like to remind the world that Pakistan has been looking after over 3 million Afghan refugees , the largest refugee population in the world. If India is so kind and caring, why have they not offered these refugees shelter in their vast homeland. And last but not the least, Pakistan’s economic growth rate over the past 4 years is impressive, as affirmed by international economic forums.
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