"The 9/11 incident happened because America turned its back on Pakistan and Afghanistan, ignored what was happening there. Al Qaeda found a home in Afghanistan. So right now, it is not the time to cut assistance to either Pakistan or Afghanistan," he added.
However, Haqqani made it clear that Pakistan does not want to become dependent on American assistance.
"We do not want to take money from American taxpayers forever. We want to be able to build our country in a manner in which we can move forward on our own steam. And that is the objective," he maintained.
Responding to a question, Haqqani clarified that Islamabad does not look upon the US and China as rivals for its friendship.
"China is definitely an all-weather friend of Pakistan. We have been friends of China since 1949. We were the country that helped the United States and China come close together," he stated.
"We have never looked upon the United States and China as rivals for our friendship," he said, adding that Islamabad respects its friendship with both powers.
In the regional context, Haqqani said that Pakistan and its western neighbour Afghanistan enjoy a "warm relationship" now, in contrast with the past nature of relations.
Besides, Pakistan is also working to build good relations with India, he said. (ANI)
