Washington: National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf has said that no US official or lawmaker has demanded a military base in Pakistan.
According to reports, Moeed Yusuf will be returning to Pakistan after a 10-day visit to the United States. He stated to inquiring reporters that the word “base” was not used even once during his talks.
Earlier, reports spread by the US and Pakistani media claimed that the Biden administration wanted a military base in Pakistan in light of the recent developments in Afghanistan.
“If there is tension between the United States and China, we cannot say that our relationship with both will remain unaffected,” Yusuf said.
Details further stated that Afghanistan and China are two major obstacles in rebuilding a close relationship between Pakistan and the United States.
According to them, Washington wants to use its influence to stop the Taliban’s occupation of Islamabad and Kabul. US policymakers also want Pakistan to use its relationship with China to curb its growing influence in the region and join a US-led coalition.
Commenting on these speculations, Moeed Yusuf said that Pakistan does not see it as a ‘zero-sum game’, stating that Pakistan has good relations with both and wants to maintain them.
“In fact, our location gives us the opportunity to play a key role in promoting good relations between the United States and China, as we did in the 1970s,” he said.
Moeed Yusuf acknowledged that the Afghan issue came up regularly in meetings with US officials, lawmakers and scholars.
In reference to past events, US officials said that if Pakistan had cooperated with the US, they could have defeated the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“We urge them to focus on the future. What happens in the next three months will determine the future of Afghanistan,” Moeed Yusuf said.
The National Security Adviser said that Pakistan wants the United States to remain engaged in Afghanistan and continue to play an important role as it has done in the past.
“In fact, we believe that a full US withdrawal would have a negative impact on the entire region. Pakistan is a partner in the US desire for peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he said.
Moeed Yousaf acknowledged that there were differences between Pakistan and the current government in Kabul, mainly because “they continued to make aggressive statements about Pakistan”.
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