LAHORE - A former foreign and defence minister of Pakistan says US President Donald Trump’s allegations against Pakistan are reflective of Washington’s frustration over its failure to set things right in Afghanistan even after spending more than $1.4trillion in 17 years there.

Khwaja Muhammad Asif said in a TV interview on Tuesday that the loss of lives of some 5,000 US soldiers in the 17-year old war was another factor behind Trump’s frustration.

He said the US was trying to encircle and subdue China.

Khwaja Asif, who is among the central leaders of the PML-N, was of the view that Pakistan should slough off its reliance on the US and strengthen its relations with other countries of the region. He said that the US had always imposed sanctions on Pakistan whenever the latter was going through a difficult situation.