The dramatic freeze in deliveries of military equipment and security funding comes after US President Donald Trump lambasted Pakistan for its alleged support for militant safe havens, including in a furious new year tweet. Why Trump’s strategy on Pakistan may not workWashington and Kabul accuse Pakistan of cynically supporting militant groups including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani group. US president raps Pakistan in first tweet of 2018But despite the provocations, the US does not want to completely rupture its relationship with Pakistan, where anti-American sentiment already runs high. “They want to apply graduated pressure to Pakistan to change its policy, rather than abandon it altogether,” security analyst Hasan Askari said. Some analysts have said there is no real way to pressure Pakistan, which believes keeping Kabul out of nemesis India’s orbit is more important than clamping down on cross-border militancy.

Source: The Express Tribune January 05, 2018 12:29 UTC