Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned that Afghanistan faces the possibility of another civil war if the US withdraws its forces from the country without a political settlement
The US began drawdown from May 1 and the process is supposed to complete by September 11, as per the revised plan given by the Biden administration.
However, the US has changed the plan and wants to leave Afghanistan at the earliest, according to Foreign Minister Qureshi.
“We will be partners in peace but not in conflict,” said the premier in an interview with Jonathan Swan.
“There must be a political settlement in Afghanistan before the Americans leave. Without a political settlement, there is a possibility of a civil war, and the country that will suffer the most after Afghanistan will be Pakistan.”
The premier went on to say that Pakistan is already hosting three million Afghan refugees and continued conflict in the war-torn neighbouring country could lead to another exodus towards Pakistan.
Responding to a question, the prime minister said being the most powerful nation in the world, the United States has a big responsibility
Imran also categorically said that Pakistan would "absolutely not" allow any bases and use of its territory for any sort of action inside Afghanistan.
"Absolutely not. There is no way we are going to allow any bases, any sort of action from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan. Absolutely not.
Pakistan's Covid-19 response
When asked about the country's Covid-19 response, Imran said that a partial lockdown coupled with comprehensive data analysis helped the government control the Covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan.
PM Imran told the interviewer how Pakistan fared better in containing the coronavirus pandemic as compared to the United States, which recorded more than 600,000 Covid-19 related deaths.
“For someone who believes in God, there is only so much you can do and then there is the twilight zone which is beyond you. So you can only try your best,” the premier said.
PM Imran further said that when Covid-19 was raging through Europe; Spain and Italy were the first two countries that suffered the most as hospitals were operating at capacity.
"Partial lockdown coupled with comprehensive data analysis helped us keep pandemic in control,"
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