India, Feb. 11 -- Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif, in what was one of his biggest admissions, has accused the United States of using Islamabad for its strategic interests and then treating it as "worse than toilet paper."

Speaking in Parliament, Asif said Pakistan's decision to realign with Washington after 1999, especially in connection with Afghanistan, caused long-term harm to the country, media reports said.

He described Islamabad's role in the two Afghan wars as "a mistake," adding that the terrorism Pakistan faces today is a consequence of those past decisions.

He said Pakistan paid a heavy price for rebuilding ties with the United States after 1999, particularly in the period following the September 11, 2001, attacks. ...