20/06/2021
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday categorically said Pakistan would ‘absolutely not’ allow any bases and use of its territory for any sort of action inside Afghanistan.
“Absolutely not! There is no way we are going to allow any bases, any sort of action from the Pakistani territory into Afghanistan,” he answered to the interviewer Jonathan Swan questions, when he asked “Would you allow the American government to have CIA here in Pakistan to conduct crossborder counterterrorism missions against Al-Qaeda ISIS or the Taliban?”
Stunned over his clear-cut response of “absolutely not,” the interviewer interrupted the prime minister asking, “Seriously?” to reconfirm his words.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Saturday said Pakistan was keen to see both the Afghan peace process and withdrawal of troops advancing in tandem but, in fact, there was a disconnect between the two.
Talking to TRT World during his visit to Antalya, Turkey, he said Pakistan had called for responsible withdrawal besides desiring the peace process to go side by side.
“What I am seeing is that the withdrawal is taking place at a fairly rapid pace but peace process is moving ahead at snail’s pace.
He said he was concerned over the rising level of violence in Afghanistan, which was not just linked to the Taliban, but also to Daesh and other spoilers within Afghanistan, which were perhaps not keen to see peace and stability there.
“They have their own designs and motives. This is a complicated situation. There are internal struggles going on within Afghanistan.
Qureshi said other conflicts like Jammu and Kashmir were also impeding the economic progress and integration in the region. He said the world was increasingly embroiled in a great competition and confrontation and people were being forced to take sides.
Mr Qureshi said Pakistan had been facilitating the peace process and engaging with all regional powers at every forum including Doha process, Istanbul process, Heart of Asia and Moscow format.
He said Pakistan had been engaged constructively for peace and stability in Afghanistan and would continue to do so.
“But this is a shared responsibility. You cannot pass the buck on to Pakistan. Pakistan is one regional player. There are other global players and there are other interests that are paramount in the region,” the foreign minister said.
“So, it has to be a holistic approach and Pakistan will be a partner in peace, he said.
: Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday categorically said Pakistan would ‘absolutely not’ allow any bases and use of its territory ...