KARACHI: Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua has said that United States President Donald Trump "put his foot in the mouth" when he wrote a strongly-worded tweet against Pakistan on January 1.
When she was asked, while delivering a lecture on ‘Pakistan’s Foreign Policy Issues’ at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) here on Saturday, about the President Trump's tweet, Janjua said “I put my foot in the mouth when I decided to come [here] today, especially when Mr Trump put his foot in the mouth when he sent out that tweet.”
"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. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump posted on Twitter on Monday.
However, the foreign secretary maintained that Pakistan will continue to have engagement with the U.S.
“We need to continue to have a measured response to all the rhetoric coming out of the U.S.," Janjua said.
On Thursday, the U.S. announced that they were cutting off military aid to Pakistan, as it has not taken "necessary steps" to curb terrorism.
The U.S. State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said the embargo would remain in place until Pakistan takes action against the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.