Daily Times

Amid the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, Pakistan has refused to give its military bases to the US.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Pakistan wants a stable Afghanistan but there are some forces that do not want that.

He said, “We want to see the peace process going forward along with the withdrawal of troops. The world does not consider Pakistan part of the problem.”

The foreign minister said that he has told all political parties in a briefing that Pakistani bases will not be given to the US.

“Search for bases could be their wish. There’s no question of giving them bases, we have to see our interest.”

An Impasse

The statement by Qureshi came as a response to a New York Times report which stated, “some American officials said that negotiations with Pakistan had reached an impasse for now. Others have said the option remains on the table and a deal is possible.”

The report said that quick withdrawal of US forces has left the CIA seeking ways to keep its intelligence gathering sources and counterterrorism operations afloat even after the withdrawal.

The US perspective

On the other hand, in a press briefing at the White House on Monday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that constructive discussions were underway through military, intelligence and diplomatic channels with Pakistan. He said that the US wants to ensure that Afghanistan is never again used as a base for terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda or ISIS to attack the US.

He said, “But in terms of the specifics of what that will look like, that will have to remain in those private channels as we work through them.”

Sullivan said that they are talking to and working with a wide network of countries. Discussions are underway about how to build effective, over-the-horizon capacity, both from an intelligence and a defense perspective so that terrorism can be suppressed in Afghanistan and elsewhere.