The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa, has categorically stated that the Pakistan Army will stand beside the government’s decision of not providing airbases to the United States of America.
He said this in response to a question by a journalist after a parliamentary briefing about security on Thursday.
“This question should have been put before the government. Why have you asked this from me?” the COAS initially retorted when questioned about the military’s position on the matter.
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When prodded for comments, the COAS said that the Pakistan Army would stand beside the government if the latter decides against giving airbases to the US.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has publically refused to allow any kind of military presence of the US in Pakistan after America’s planned withdrawal from Afghanistan by 11 September 2021.
Washington has unofficially been requesting Islamabad’s help to keep an eye on Afghanistan and to stop it from falling into the hands of militants. However, in his address on the floor of the National Assembly a day ago, Khan had said that Pakistan is America’s partner in peace but not in conflict.
Briefing on Afghanistan
An important session of the parliament was called on Thursday, in which the army leadership gave a detailed briefing on the worsening situation in Afghanistan and its possible impact on Pakistan.
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The Speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser, chaired the meeting that included the COAS, the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI), General Faiz Hameed, and the DG of the Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Major General Babar Iftikhar.
The session was also attended by select parliamentarians, the Leader of the Opposition, Shehbaz Sharif, and the Co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, among others. The attendees were given a detailed briefing on Afghanistan, Kashmir, and the internal security situation in a six-hour-long session.
The DG ISI said, “Pakistan’s territory is not being used in the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, and we hope that Afghanistan’s land is not used against Pakistan”.
An official statement that was issued after the session detailed that:
Pakistan’s efforts paved the way for dialogue between Afghan factions and warring groups. Due to Islamabad’s efforts, meaningful talks have begun between the US and the Taliban.
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The attendees were informed that sustained peace and stability in Afghanistan would lead to stability in South Asia and that Pakistan would welcome a government that is truly representative of the Afghan people.
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