United States President Donald Trump on Saturday said Washington was beginning to build a better relationship with Pakistan and its leaders. Trump’s comments come days after Pakistan rescued an American-Canadian family from the Haqqani network, five years after they were abducted.

“Starting to develop a much better relationship with Pakistan and its leaders,” Trump said on Twitter. “I want to thank them for their cooperation on many fronts.” For years, Pakistan had taken tremendous advantage of the US, but America was now starting to have a “real relationship” with Islamabad, Trump said.

American citizen Caitlan Coleman and her Canadian husband Joshua Boyle, along with their three children, were rescued from the Haqqani network on Thursday. Trump had hailed the release of hostages, adding that it was a “positive moment” for the bilateral relations with Pakistan.

On Thursday, Trump had said that the Pakistani government had started to respect the US and intended to cooperate with them in counter-terrorism efforts. “The Pakistani government’s cooperation is a sign that it is honouring America’s wish that it do more to provide security in the region,” he had said, according to Reuters.

His comments indicate a sharp changes in the US’ stance. Back in August, Trump had blamed Pakistan for protecting militants. “For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror,” Trump had said. “It has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists.” He had also said that the US was paying Pakistan “billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting”.