Pakistan summons US ambassador over Trump’s recent tweet

Pakistan has summoned the US ambassador after Donald Trump posted a tweet accusing the country of “lies and deceit”.

Trump tweeted on New Year’s day to say Pakistan was treating the US as “fools” after receiving $33 billion (£24 billion) in aid from the US, which has been rewarded with nothing but “nothing but lies and deceit”.

“They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” said the US President on Twitter.

Pakistan has not taken lightly to the tweet. The President is to chair a meeting that will focus on the tweet. On Wednesday, Pakistan’s top civilian and military chiefs will meet to discuss the country’s relations with the US.

The Pakistani defence minister, Khurram Dastgir Khan, also took to Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) to respond to Trump.

“Pak as anti-terror ally has given free to US: land & air communication, military bases & intel cooperation that decimated Al-Qaeda over last 16yrs, but they have given us nothing but invective & mistrust. They overlook cross-border safe havens of terrorists who murder Pakistanis.”

The relationship between the two states has faced strains over the past few years. The US has accused Pakistan of supporting the Haqqani network militants and has threatened to cut aid if it continues to turn a blind eye to the group.

Pakistan has rejected claims that it is not doing enough in the war against militancy.

Khawaja Asif, Pakistan’s foreign minister, told Geo TV on Monday: “He has tweeted against us [Pakistan] and Iran for his domestic consumption. He is, again and again, displacing his frustrations on Pakistan over failures in Afghanistan as they are trapped in a dead-end street in Afghanistan.”

On Monday, a US national security council official said the US was not planning to send $255 million in aid to Pakistan “at this time” and that “the administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation”.