The US President began 2018 by alleging Pakistan harboured terrorists and said the country considered US leaders to be “fools”.
He wrote: “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.”
He added: “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!”
Pakistan has responded angrily, accusing President Trump of being bitter as a result of the “US defeat in Afghanistan”.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif told the nation’s Geo TV: “We have already told the US that we will not do more, so Trump’s ‘no more’ does not hold any importance.
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“Pakistan is ready to publicly provide every detail of the US aid that it has received.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistani Minister of Defence tweeted: “Pakistan 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.”
Pakistan has summoned the US ambassador, David Hale, to the foreign office saying Mr Trump’s aggressive tweet threatens the relationship between the two countries.
The US is considering withholding more than £185million ($250million) in aid that it delayed sending to Islamabad in August.
The move is being considered due to Pakistan’s perceived failure to crack down more effectively on terror groups, The New York Times reports.
At the time, President Trump said: “We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting.”
“It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace.”
Relations between the US and Pakistan have become increasingly strained in recent years over Islamabad’s alleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban.
Two terror group leaders have been found and killed in Pakistan – former Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was killed by a US drone strike in Pakistan in 2016 while Osama bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. troops in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad.
Mr Trump’s tweet has sparked reactions from other powers in the region – India and Afghanistan praised the President’s remarks while China defended Pakistan’s contributions in counter-terrorism.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said: ”We have said many times that Pakistan has put forth great effort and made great sacrifices in combating terrorism. It has made a prominent contribution to global anti-terror efforts.
“The international community should fully recognise this.”