The Pakistani government held an emergency security meeting on Tuesday in response to President Donald Trump accusing the country of "lies and deceit" in an early morning New Year's Day tweet, per CNN. Pakistan also on Monday summoned the U.S. ambassador David Hale, per Reuters.
The backdrop: The White House considering whether to give Pakistan $255 million in military aid it has withheld in August out of frustration over what it has characterized as Islamabad's unwillingness to crack down on terror groups, The New York Times reported last week. U.S. aid to Pakistan totals $33 billion since 2002. In a Times op-ed last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on Pakistan to contribute more by combating terrorist groups on its own soil, adding that the country must "demonstrate its desire to partner with us."
