Spurned US call for military bases: Ex-PM Khan

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Former prime minister Imran Khan claims to have spurned the US demand for military bases in Pakistan to keep a watch on Afghanistan.

The Americans believed their request would not be granted as long as he remained in power. Khan told a huge public meeting in his hometown of Mianwali on Friday.

The ex-premier alleged: “The US wanted me to cancel my visit to Russia, not to trade with it and to limit our relations with China.”

Last summer, Khan recalled, he sensed the danger of civil war in Afghanistan in the wake of the America’s withdrawal from the neighbouring. The impact of a civil war in Afghanistan would be felt in Pakistan, he said.

“The effects were still there, many of our soldiers were martyred after Afghanistan became independent. I wanted the ISI chief to visit that country,” the erstwhile prime minister continued.

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