Pakistani bases, airspace and all-season supply routes and communication lines into neighboring Afghanistan had been crucial in enabling and sustaining the US-led military invasion following the 9/11 attacks two decades ago.
However, at a press meet in the capital Islamabad on Tuesday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan would not participate in any future US military campaigns – and will choose to remain “partners in peace.”
“No. We don’t intend to allow boots on the ground here, and Pakistan isn’t transferring any base (to the US)… We will be partners in peace, and this will be our role – the role of a facilitator,” said Qureshi, responding to a question on whether the government was under pressure to turn over bases to US.
“There is no pressure. Pakistan will protect its interests,” he added.
Last month, US President Joe Biden said the remaining 2,500-3,500 US troops and around 7,000 NATO soldiers will withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11, more than four months after the May 1 deadline agreed upon by the Taliban and Washington as part of an accord reached last year.
Biden had also stated that the US would “reorganize its counter-terrorism capabilities and assets in the region” to deter potential terror threats.
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