Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan attends talks at the Great Hall of the People on November 2, 2018 in Beijing, China.
(Photo: Thomas Peter-Pool/Getty Images)
Nov 18, 2018
After U.S. President Donald Trump ranted that Pakistan doesn't "do a damn thing for us" and accused the country of harboring terrorists in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday, Pakistani Prime Minister and long-time critic of American foreign policy Imran Khan suggested in a series of tweets on Monday that Trump should examine his own country's failed "war on terror" and stop "making Pakistan a scapegoat."
"The U.S. should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140,000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops and reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before," Khan wrote.
As Common Dreams reported last week, the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs estimated that by the end of 2019, the U.S. will have spent a staggering $5.9 trillion on wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other nations since the attacks of September 11, 2001.
"No Pakistani was involved in 9/11 but Pak decided to participate in the U.S. war on terror," Khan continued. "Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war and over $123 billion was lost to the economy. U.S. 'aid' was a miniscule $20 billion. Our tribal areas were devastated and millions of people uprooted from their homes. The war drastically impacted lives of ordinary Pakistanis... Can Mr. Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?"
\u201cRecord needs to be put straight on Mr Trump's tirade against Pakistan: 1. No Pakistani was involved in 9/11 but Pak decided to participate in US War on Terror. 2. Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war & over $123 bn was lost to economy. US "aid" was a miniscule $20 bn.\u201d— Imran Khan (@Imran Khan) 1542627445
\u201c3. Our tribal areas were devastated & millions of ppl uprooted from their homes. The war drastically impacted lives of ordinary Pakistanis. 4. Pak continues to provide free lines of ground & air communications(GLOCs/ALOCs).Can Mr Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?\u201d— Imran Khan (@Imran Khan) 1542627592
\u201cInstead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for their failures, the US should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops & reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before.\u201d— Imran Khan (@Imran Khan) 1542627722
In September, Trump decided to cut off $300 million in U.S. aid to Pakistan, accusing the country of providing a safe haven for terrorists.
Prior to his election as prime minister in July, Khan condemned Trump's decision to cut off aid as an attempt to "humiliate and insult" Pakistan and argued that his nation must never again be used by the U.S. as a "gun for hire."
"We became a U.S. proxy for a war against the Soviet Union when it entered Afghanistan and we allowed the CIA to create, train, and arm jihadi groups on our soil and a decade later we tried to eliminate them as terrorists on U.S. orders," Khan declared in a January letter. "The time has come to stand firm and give a strong response to the U.S."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
After U.S. President Donald Trump ranted that Pakistan doesn't "do a damn thing for us" and accused the country of harboring terrorists in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday, Pakistani Prime Minister and long-time critic of American foreign policy Imran Khan suggested in a series of tweets on Monday that Trump should examine his own country's failed "war on terror" and stop "making Pakistan a scapegoat."
"The U.S. should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140,000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops and reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before," Khan wrote.
As Common Dreams reported last week, the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs estimated that by the end of 2019, the U.S. will have spent a staggering $5.9 trillion on wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other nations since the attacks of September 11, 2001.
"No Pakistani was involved in 9/11 but Pak decided to participate in the U.S. war on terror," Khan continued. "Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war and over $123 billion was lost to the economy. U.S. 'aid' was a miniscule $20 billion. Our tribal areas were devastated and millions of people uprooted from their homes. The war drastically impacted lives of ordinary Pakistanis... Can Mr. Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?"
\u201cRecord needs to be put straight on Mr Trump's tirade against Pakistan: 1. No Pakistani was involved in 9/11 but Pak decided to participate in US War on Terror. 2. Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war & over $123 bn was lost to economy. US "aid" was a miniscule $20 bn.\u201d— Imran Khan (@Imran Khan) 1542627445
\u201c3. Our tribal areas were devastated & millions of ppl uprooted from their homes. The war drastically impacted lives of ordinary Pakistanis. 4. Pak continues to provide free lines of ground & air communications(GLOCs/ALOCs).Can Mr Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?\u201d— Imran Khan (@Imran Khan) 1542627592
\u201cInstead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for their failures, the US should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops & reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before.\u201d— Imran Khan (@Imran Khan) 1542627722
In September, Trump decided to cut off $300 million in U.S. aid to Pakistan, accusing the country of providing a safe haven for terrorists.
Prior to his election as prime minister in July, Khan condemned Trump's decision to cut off aid as an attempt to "humiliate and insult" Pakistan and argued that his nation must never again be used by the U.S. as a "gun for hire."
"We became a U.S. proxy for a war against the Soviet Union when it entered Afghanistan and we allowed the CIA to create, train, and arm jihadi groups on our soil and a decade later we tried to eliminate them as terrorists on U.S. orders," Khan declared in a January letter. "The time has come to stand firm and give a strong response to the U.S."
From Your Site Articles
After U.S. President Donald Trump ranted that Pakistan doesn't "do a damn thing for us" and accused the country of harboring terrorists in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday, Pakistani Prime Minister and long-time critic of American foreign policy Imran Khan suggested in a series of tweets on Monday that Trump should examine his own country's failed "war on terror" and stop "making Pakistan a scapegoat."
"The U.S. should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140,000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops and reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before," Khan wrote.
As Common Dreams reported last week, the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs estimated that by the end of 2019, the U.S. will have spent a staggering $5.9 trillion on wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other nations since the attacks of September 11, 2001.
"No Pakistani was involved in 9/11 but Pak decided to participate in the U.S. war on terror," Khan continued. "Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war and over $123 billion was lost to the economy. U.S. 'aid' was a miniscule $20 billion. Our tribal areas were devastated and millions of people uprooted from their homes. The war drastically impacted lives of ordinary Pakistanis... Can Mr. Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?"
\u201cRecord needs to be put straight on Mr Trump's tirade against Pakistan: 1. No Pakistani was involved in 9/11 but Pak decided to participate in US War on Terror. 2. Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war & over $123 bn was lost to economy. US "aid" was a miniscule $20 bn.\u201d— Imran Khan (@Imran Khan) 1542627445
\u201c3. Our tribal areas were devastated & millions of ppl uprooted from their homes. The war drastically impacted lives of ordinary Pakistanis. 4. Pak continues to provide free lines of ground & air communications(GLOCs/ALOCs).Can Mr Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?\u201d— Imran Khan (@Imran Khan) 1542627592
\u201cInstead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for their failures, the US should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops & reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before.\u201d— Imran Khan (@Imran Khan) 1542627722
In September, Trump decided to cut off $300 million in U.S. aid to Pakistan, accusing the country of providing a safe haven for terrorists.
Prior to his election as prime minister in July, Khan condemned Trump's decision to cut off aid as an attempt to "humiliate and insult" Pakistan and argued that his nation must never again be used by the U.S. as a "gun for hire."
"We became a U.S. proxy for a war against the Soviet Union when it entered Afghanistan and we allowed the CIA to create, train, and arm jihadi groups on our soil and a decade later we tried to eliminate them as terrorists on U.S. orders," Khan declared in a January letter. "The time has come to stand firm and give a strong response to the U.S."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.