After Trump's rant, COAS says Pakistan's honour 'shall always stay premier'

Gen Qamar says world should acknowledge Pakistan's matchless efforts against terrorism and for regional peace

A day after United States President Donald Trump doubled down on his fresh tirade against Islamabad, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday said Pakistan will continue to contribute towards peace in Afghanistan but honour and security of the country shall always stay premier.

“Pakistan has successfully fought against terrorism while also contributing to regional peace. Pakistan has done much more for peace in Afghanistan than any other country,” he was quoted by DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor as saying in a tweet.

“Pakistan has successfully fought against terrorism while also contributing to regional peace. Pakistan has done much more for peace in Afghanistan than any other country”, COAS. (1 of 2).

— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) November 20, 2018

“We have paid the highest military, economic, political and social cost and the world should acknowledge that. We shall continue to contribute towards peace in Afghanistan but Pakistan’s honour and Pakistan’s security shall always stay premier,” he added.

“We have paid the highest military, economic, political and social cost and the world should acknowledge that. We shall continue to contribute towards peace in Afghanistan but Pakistan’s honour and Pakistan’s security shall always stay premier” COAS. (2 of 2).

— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) November 20, 2018

The statement comes a day after Trump sparked off a Twitter spat with Prime Minister Imran Khan when he reiterated the allegations he had levelled in a Fox News interview a day earlier. The US president accused Pakistan of “doing nothing” for the US despite receiving “billions of dollars” in aid.



Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, earlier today, summoned the US envoy, Paul Jones at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad to register a strong protest on “unwarranted and unsubstantiated allegations” made against Pakistan by US President Donald Trump.

The US envoy was told that “such baseless rhetoric about Pakistan was totally unacceptable”.

Rejecting the insinuations regarding Osama Bin Laden, the foreign secretary reminded the US envoy that it was Pakistan’s intelligence cooperation that provided the initial evidence to trace the whereabouts of the then al Qaeda chief.



Meanwhile, the Pentagon, in an apparent attempt to lessen the damage caused by the US president’s Twitter outburst, has termed Islamabad a critical partner to its South Asian strategy.

“The US and Pakistan have strong mutual interests in the region,” reported NDTV while quoting Director of Defense Press Operations for the US Department of Defense Colonel Rob Manning III’s comments during an off-camera news conference.