By Sardar Khan Niazi
Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson has denied a report by CNN that the US was “nearing” a formalized agreement with Pakistan to use its airspace for conducting military and intelligence operations against Afghanistan, saying there is “no such understanding” between the two countries.
He, however, stressed that Pakistan and the US had “longstanding cooperation” on issues of regional security and counter-terrorism, and “the two sides remain engaged in regular consultations”.
As soon as Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan decided not to give airbase to Americans, fake news about Pakistan has accelerated worldwide. It looks like a paid job. Foreign agents and their cronies are in action again to create unrest. What a tragedy!
Such spineless acts by hostile elements, sponsored by antagonistic intelligence agencies, aimed at sabotaging the hard-earned peace and prosperity in Pakistan. India is playing with fire. What it was trying to do in Pakistan via proxies from Afghanistan into Pakistan, would only spill over to themselves. History is a great teacher but India will never learn.
The bombs and booby traps that killed hundreds of people in many cities of the country are a grim reminder that the threat of terror attacks is present and that improved vigilance is the need of the time. Salute to the bravery of the sons of this land. They are making crucial sacrifices. Our neighbor is up to mischief again no doubt and our brave soldiers are handling it with an iron hand.
As usual, our eastern neighbor was back to usual shenanigans. It gave the impression that the Indians were losing ground in Afghanistan and using cheap strategies to vent their frustration. Why are Indians with their booming multi-trillion economy so obsessed with Pakistan and constantly reading our papers commenting negatively and recommending negative comments? Do they not have better things to do in the world’s so-called largest democracy?
It is clear that Indian-based terrorists coming directly from India or crossing from Afghanistan were in charge of damaging the peaceful atmosphere in Pakistan. As generally, there have been no incidents of violence in many cities of Pakistan.
What happened to Americans that they made such a sensitive demand of getting airbase in Pakistan? The Americans should have had a peep into their history of treating Pakistan and calculated the damage done to Pakistan. Perhaps, they have become used to taking Pakistan for granted, never imagining in their barest mind to receive a big ‘No’.
The Americans, for the first time, have confronted a leader of a great pluck. One who has abundant confidence in the strength of his nation of 220 million people and to whom the support of the people matters more for his extended political life than the loaned out props of a foreign power.
Of course, the premier was conscious of the fact that the hurried withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan in the absence of a power-sharing formula and ceasefire negotiated between the Taliban and Kabul was going to plummet the country into an unprecedented civil war.
In his interview with a foreign television network, Prime Minister Imran Khan permanently put to rest conjectures and assumptions going on in the media that Pakistan is involved in talks on the subject of giving air bases to Americans.
The question here arises that after all what the Americans would do by monitoring the evolving political and military situation in Afghanistan in the post-drawdown years as their twenty years of monitoring has not achieved anything so far except hurting a neighboring country.
For the reason that this is the most critical question with manifold consequences, the Prime Minister of Pakistan’s decision is in the interest of the country and its people.