Alleging that international media was biased against his country, a senior Pakistani official has said the US’s sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan was not ideal, and any shifting of blame on Islamabad for “face-saving” would be unacceptable

Speaking on DawnNewsTV show Live with Adil Shahzeb, National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf said the US has assured Pakistan that it will not be made a "scapegoat" amidst the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

“But only time will tell whether [they stay true to their word] as history suggests otherwise… The international media has been biased against us, and it is the same today," Yusuf remarked.

He said that it was “too early to predict whether they (the US) will stick to their words.”

The adviser said Pakistan had always wanted peace in Afghanistan and the hasty withdrawal of US troops from the country was not a good idea.

Yusuf also stressed that Pakistan needed to maintain bilateral ties with the US, which continued to view Pakistan as a regional player, without compromising on national interests.

“The approach is still regional. [Though], they [the US] have shifted focus from Af-Pak and are now obsessed with China, seeing India [as a country] that has a role to play [in this equation],” said Yusuf.

Yusuf denied reports about Pakistan allowing the US to continue to use its airbases,

“It has been very clearly communicated to the Americans so it's not debatable,” he said, adding Prime Minister Imran Khan had been opposing the war in Afghanistan for the past 15 years, so allowing the US access to airbases after its withdrawal from Afghanistan was not on the table.

To another question, he stressed that “it's important for all stakeholders in Afghanistan to sit together for a … political settlement.”

Yusuf also emphasized on economic stability in Afghanistan, saying that the Afghan economy could not function without support from the outside.

“And for that, only Pakistan can give them regional connectivity, and for investment from China and the US, Pakistan is the only linchpin. Afghans must understand this.”

The adviser reiterated that in the wake of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan wanted bilateral relationships with America, but with a focus on “not what the US can give us, but what we can take from the US”.

He went on to say that Afghans should decide their own fate, adding that any terrorist activities in Afghanistan were not acceptable to Pakistan.

The US has announced troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11. However, with the US troops pulling out from the war-torn country since May 1— a deadline set in the US-Taliban agreement signed last year— there have been reports of the withdrawal being completed by July 4, which is celebrated as the US Independence Day.

The prospect of an end to the US presence in Afghanistan after 20 years comes despite fighting raging across the countryside in the absence of a peace deal, giving rise to security concerns and fears that violence will increase and could also spill over to neighboring states, including Pakistan.

(SAM)