PM Imran: Pakistan will ‘absolutely not’ allow bases to US for action in Afghanistan

Pakistan would ‘absolutely not’ allow any bases and use of its territory to the US for any sort of action inside Afghanistan stated Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The prime minister told Axios on HBO in an interview, “Absolutely not. There is no way we are going to allow any bases, any sort of action from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan. Absolutely not.” “Would you allow the American government to have CIA here in Pakistan to conduct cross-border counterterrorism missions against Al-Qaeda, ISIS or the Taliban?” questioned the interviewer Jonathan Swan as appeared in an excerpt of the PM interview which is to be aired on Sunday on the Axio website. 

“Absolutely not” was the answer which surprised the interviewer who interrupted the clear-cut response by asking the prime minister, “Seriously?” The collision of tech, media, business and politics is explored on Axios on HBO which is a documentary-news programme that combines the reporting of Axios journalist with the expertise of HBO filmmakers.

Anchorperson: "Will you allow American Govt. to have CIA here in Pakistan to conduct cross-border missions in Afghanistan?"
PM Imran Khan: "Absolutely not"#AbsolutelyNot pic.twitter.com/rQXE3nPWtQ

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— PTI (@PTIofficial) June 19, 2021

Interviews of former US President Donald Trump, Sundar Pichai, Elon Musk, Mary Barra, now US President Joe Biden, Andrew Yang, Kamala Harris and others have featured in the series. The possibility of providing military bases to the United States for counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan was ruled out by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in his recent address in the Senate.

He made it clear that the government would neither allow drone attacks inside Pakistan nor would provide military bases to the US. On the other hand, Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain ruled out any possibility in which the US would be provided with an airbase in Pakistan stating that all the facilities are for Pakistan’s own use.

The ‘drone surveillance’ facility given to the US in the past was ended by the PTI-led government, he said. “All the airbases are under the use of Pakistan. Right now, no negotiations in this regard are underway as Pakistan cannot give any airbase [to any country].”

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