ISLAMABAD – Pakistan clarified on Monday that there was no US military or airbase in Pakistan and no any such proposal was envisaged.
“Any speculation on this account was baseless and irresponsible and should be avoided,” Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a statement.
He added that Pakistan and the U.S. have a framework of cooperation in terms of Air Lines of Communication (ALOC) and Ground Lines of Communication (GLOC) in place since 2001. No new agreement has been made in this regard.
There is no U.S. military or air base in #Pakistan; nor is any such proposal envisaged. Any speculation on this account is baseless and irresponsible and should be avoided. 1/2
— Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri (@Zhchaudhri) May 24, 2021
The clarification comes after a Pentagon official told US lawmakers in a briefing that Pakistan had allowed the US to have overflight and access to be able to support our military presence in Afghanistan amid withdrawal of international troops.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs David F Helvey while speaking to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Saturday said that Pakistan has played an important part in promoting the Afghan peace process.
Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a Democrat, asked him about his “assessment of Pakistan” and its intelligence services, as well as the part they are likely to play in the future.
“Pakistan has played an important role in Afghanistan. They supported the Afghan peace process. Pakistan also has allowed us to have overflight and access to be able to support our military presence in Afghanistan,” Helvey said.
He said that the US would continue to speak with Pakistan because of its help and commitment to Afghanistan’s future.
Read more: https://pakobserver.net/pakistan-played-important-role-in-afghan-peace-process-pentagon/
