Washington: Nikki Haley Alleges Pakistan Sheltered Militants Targeting US Forces, Reveals Tensions With Trump in New Book

Washington: Nikki Haley Alleges Pakistan Sheltered Militants Targeting US Forces, Reveals Tensions With Trump in New Book

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has alleged in her new book that Pakistan provided shelter to militants targeting American soldiers, highlighting growing tensions during the Trump administration.

Former United States Ambassador to the UnitedNations Nikki Haley has alleged that Pakistan provided sanctuary to militant groups responsible for attacks on American soldiers, even while receiving substantial US financial assistance. The claim is outlined in her newly released memoir, With All Due Respect: Defending America With Grit and Grace, which reached bookstores this week.

In the book, Haley — an Indian-American politician who served as the US envoy to the UN from 2017 to 2018 — offers an insider account of the Trump administration’s foreign policy deliberations, particularly its increasingly strained relationship with Pakistan. She describes moments of frustration within the White House over Islamabad’s actions at international forums and its alleged double standards on counterterrorism.

Aid Versus Allegiance at the United Nations

According to Haley, one of the key sources of tension was Pakistan’s voting record at the United Nations, which she says often ran counter to US interests. Despite being among the largest recipients of American aid at the time, Pakistan voted against the United States in the UN General Assembly a majority of the time, she writes.

“We gave more aid to Pakistan than almost any other country,” Haley notes in the book, referring to US assistance that included military and security-related funding. She states that in 2017 alone, Washington provided close to $1 billion in aid to Pakistan’s military establishment.

Despite this, Haley writes, Pakistan opposed the United States at the United Nations approximately 76 percent of the time. This disconnect, she argues, raised serious questions within the Trump administration about the effectiveness and purpose of continued US assistance.

Allegations of Sheltering Militants

The most serious allegation in Haley’s account concerns Pakistan’s alleged role in providing safe havens to militant groups. She writes that US intelligence assessments and diplomatic briefings consistently pointed to Pakistan offering shelter to terrorists who carried out or attempted attacks on American forces, particularly in Afghanistan.

“The worst is that Pakistan gives shelter to terrorists who try to kill our American soldiers,” Haley writes, describing this as a fundamental breach of trust between the two countries.

While Haley does not detail specific militant groups or operations in the excerpt, her comments align with longstanding USconcerns regarding Pakistan-based networks, including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network. For years, successive US administrations have accused Pakistan of tolerating or supporting such groups, allegations that Islamabad has repeatedly denied.

Briefing President Trump

Haley recounts personally conveying these findings to then-President Donald Trump. According to her narrative, the information triggered a strong reaction from the president, reinforcing his skepticism toward traditional US foreign aid policies.

“I conveyed these findings and other things to President Trump,” Haley writes. “He got angry.”

She describes Trump as increasingly convinced that American taxpayer money was being spent on countries that did not share US strategic interests or values. The Pakistan briefing, Haley suggests, became a turning point in shaping the administration’s broader approach to foreign assistance.

Push for Conditional Foreign Aid

Following these discussions, Haley writes, President Trump urged Congress to support legislation that would tie US foreign aid more directly to measurable support for American interests. The objective, she says, was to ensure that US assistance went primarily to allies and partners who demonstrated alignment with Washington on key security and diplomatic issues.

“Shortly after that, he asked Congress to pass a bill to ensure that American foreign aid is given only to promote American interests and America’s friends,” Haley notes in her book.

This approach later translated into concrete policy decisions. In early 2018, the Trump administration suspended hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance to Pakistan, citing Islamabad’s failure to take decisive action against militant groups operating from its territory.

A Longstanding and Complicated Relationship

US-Pakistan relations have long been marked by cycles of cooperation and mistrust. Pakistan has been a key US partner in various phases of the war in Afghanistan, providing logistical routes and intelligence cooperation. At the same time, American officials have repeatedly accused Pakistan of pursuing a dual strategy — cooperating with Washington while simultaneously maintaining ties with militant factions seen as useful for its regional objectives.

Pakistan, for its part, has rejected allegations of providing safe havens to terrorists, arguing that it has suffered enormous human and economic losses due to terrorism. Pakistani officials have also pointed to the country’s military operations against extremist groups and its role in facilitating talks between the US and the Taliban.

Haley’s book revisits this contentious debate from the perspective of a senior US official during a period of heightened tension.

Haley’s Broader Foreign Policy Message

Beyond Pakistan, With All Due Respect presents Haley’s broader worldview on American leadership, diplomacy, and national interest. She emphasizes a foreign policy rooted in what she describes as clarity, strength, and moral confidence, while also criticizing what she sees as excessive deference to international institutions that do not always align with US priorities.

Her account of Pakistan fits into this larger narrative, portraying it as an example of why the United States, in her view, must reassess long-standing assumptions about allies and aid recipients.

Political Context and Future Implications

The book’s release comes at a time when US foreign policy debates are once again intensifying, particularly in the context of counterterrorism, strategic competition, and the use of foreign aid as a policy tool. Haley herself remains a prominent figure in American politics and has been widely viewed as a potential future presidential contender.

Her remarks are likely to resonate strongly in India, where concerns about Pakistan-based militancy have been a central issue in national security discourse for decades. At the same time, the allegations may draw criticism from Pakistan, which has consistently pushed back against similar claims by US and Indian officials.

Reactions and Responses

As of now, there has been no immediate official response from the Pakistani government to the specific claims made in Haley’s book. In the past, Islamabad has maintained that such accusations overlook its counterterrorism efforts and unfairly place the blame for regional instability on Pakistan alone.

US officials have also varied in their assessments over the years, with some emphasizing Pakistan’s strategic importance and others highlighting persistent concerns about militancy.

A Window Into Trump-Era Decision-Making

Ultimately, Haley’s account offers a detailed glimpse into how intelligence assessments, diplomatic frustrations, and presidential instincts combined to shape US policy during the Trump administration. Her portrayal of the Pakistan issue underscores the broader shift toward a more transactional approach to foreign relations, one in which aid and support were increasingly linked to perceived loyalty and results.

Whether readers view Haley’s claims as overdue candor or as a one-sided account, With All Due Respect adds a significant new chapter to the ongoing debate over US-Pakistan relations and the challenges of balancing diplomacy, security, and national interest in an increasingly complex global landscape.

 

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