Pakistani Prime Minister Strongly Criticizes "US Military Intervention in Afghanistan Ruined the Situation"

"Opposition to US Military Bases or CIA Outposts in Pakistan"
"Already 3 Million Afghan Refugees... Cannot Accept More" Emphasized

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, fiercely criticized the United States' military intervention for completely ruining the situation in neighboring Afghanistan, which is currently experiencing political instability. He also firmly opposed the establishment of U.S. military bases or CIA outposts within Pakistan.

According to foreign media including Voice of America (VOA) on the 29th (local time), Khan stated in an interview with the U.S. PBS NewsHour the previous day, "The Afghan issue could not have been resolved militarily from the start, but the U.S. tried to solve it through military intervention and completely ruined the situation in Afghanistan." He added, "The worst-case scenario for Afghanistan is the prolonged civil war between the Taliban and government forces."

Regarding the Taliban, Prime Minister Khan said, "For a peaceful resolution of the current situation in Afghanistan, the Taliban must also become part of the new government," and explained, "If peaceful resolution fails and the civil war prolongs, more refugees could cross into Pakistan. We have already accepted 3 million Afghan refugees and are not in a position to accept any more."

In response to claims that Pakistan supports the Taliban, he said, "This is very unfair," and stated, "On the contrary, Pakistan joined the U.S. war on terror and lost 70,000 lives." He continued, "We have no connection to the 9/11 attacks and do not want to be involved in the war between the U.S. and the Taliban. We will never allow U.S. military bases or CIA outposts to be established within Pakistan."

Prime Minister Khan's remarks are analyzed to have been made considering the situation where the withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan is nearly complete, and the Taliban is expected to soon take control of the entire country. As the pro-U.S. Afghan government collapses and the Taliban is anticipated to regain control of Afghanistan, diplomatic and security tensions among neighboring countries are rising.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.