In a veiled threat to pull out of the fight against Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan, Pakistan warned the U.S. that "if the Obama administration didn't adopt a positive policy" towards it, Islamabad would "review all options," media reports said.
The warning came a day after U.S. President Barack Obama said it would increase non-military aid to Pakistan but it would be held accountable for the security in the border regions of Afghanistan and that its performance in the fight against terrorism would be linked to the financial aid.
Responding to the new U.S. foreign policy agenda, Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S. Hussain Haqqani said that former President George Bush preferred getting himself heard to listening to others and 'believed in the use of force'. He said that compared to Bush, Obama believed in holding talks.
He hoped that Obama would be more patient while dealing with Pakistan. Islamabad would review all options if the new U.S. president does not adopt a positive policy towards Islamabad, he added. Referring to the war on terror, he hoped that Obama would also pay attention to the political and foreign policy factors and socio-economic matters.
On Pak-U.S. ties, the ambassador said Pakistan was an ally of the U.S. that was participating in the war in its own interest.
Separately, Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Tariq Majid asked the new American administration to tone down the rhetoric. He said that "Pakistan need not prove its sincerity to foreign powers and such unhelpful statements must stop." He added that it is 'repetitive rhetoric by external force'.
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.