US President Donald Trump is “not satisfied” with Pakistan’s work on the anti-terror front, the White House said on Thursday on the eve of the crucial plenary session of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, where the United States led the move to put Islamabad back on the international terror-financing watchlist.
“We’ve seen modest progress in terms of Pakistan’s actual acknowledgement of these concerns, but the President is not satisfied with progress when it comes to Pakistan,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah told reporters.
He also sought to make the point that “for the first time”, the United States is now holding Pakistan accountable for its actions.
“For the first time we’re holding Pakistan accountable for its actions,” Shah said, commenting that the Trump administration has “restored some clarity in our relationship with Pakistan”.
Early last month, in what was a massive blow to Pakistan, the United States froze all security aid, estimated at nearly $2 billion, in retaliation for Islamabad’s failure to crack down on terrorist groups enjoying a safe haven on its soil.
The decision came close on the heels of Trump’s repeated warnings to Pakistan, climaxed by his stinging New Year’s Day attack on Islamabad’s “lies and deceit”. Thereafter, a senior official spoke of the administration looking at other options as well, triggering speculation that Pakistan could be stripped of its status as a “major non-NATO ally” of the US.
At his media briefing, Shah, answering a question on Afghanistan, spoke of “significant progress” made in the fight against ISIS, with its presence reduced and hundreds of its fighters eliminated. “We’ve eliminated their top leaders, and we’re working relentlessly to target their leadership and bases wherever they emerge,” he said.
At the Pentagon, chief spokesperson Dana White said that Secretary James Mattis believes that “Pakistan has an opportunity to do more with respect to regional security, and that it’s in its interests to do more with respect to regional security”.