Pakistan has refused to host US military bases on its soil as Washington seeks to continue its counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan after a military pullout.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi claimed that despite the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, Pakistan has refused to hand over its military bases to the US.
FM spoke with Geo News in an interview. According to Qureshi, Pakistan wants a stable Afghanistan, but there are other factions in the region that do not want peace.
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“We want to see the peace process progress, as well as the troop departure. Pakistan is not seen as a contributor to the problem by the rest of the globe.”
Pakistan has categorically rejected to hand over military bases to the United States, according to the foreign minister, who also indicated that he has informed all political parties in a session that they have no such plans.
“Their wish could be to look for bases. We can’t give them bases; we have to demonstrate our interest.”
Deadlock with US Remains on military bases
Qureshi was responding to a New York Times report that indicated talks with Pakistan had entered an “impasse” for the time being.
“According to some American officials, talks with Pakistan have struck a stalemate for the time being. Others have maintained that the option is still on the table and that a deal is possible,” according to the NYT report.
According to the report, the CIA is looking for ways to keep its intelligence-gathering, war-fighting, and counter-terrorism operations in the country despite the quick withdrawal of US forces.
Constructive Discussions with Pakistan
Meanwhile, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during a press conference at the White House on Monday that the US and Pakistan had meaningful discussions about the long run of America’s capabilities through military, intelligence, and diplomatic channels to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a base from which al Qaeda, ISIS, or any other terrorist group can attack the US.
Sullivan stated that they are in talks with a variety of countries about how to establish effective, over-the-horizon capacity, both in terms of intelligence and defence, in order to combat the terrorism threat in Afghanistan.
