After images of US troops arriving at the Islamabad airport went viral, sparking rumours that the Americans could set up a military base in Pakistan, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad hit back, dismissing the claims. He stated that the foreigners who will stay in the country had been issued transit visas ranging from 21 to 30 days, Dawn reported. He rejected the assertion that Pakistan was set to return to the Musharraf era.
According to the publication, Ahmad stated that Pakistan was a “responsible country” and it would fulfil its duty of national security and its international expectations, and that no other country had rendered sacrifices for peace in Afghanistan more than Pakistan.
A few months earlier, reports in both US and Pakistani media claimed that the Biden administration was seeking military bases in Pakistan to influence developments in Afghanistan, particularly if the Taliban seized Kabul. However, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in June ruled out hosting American bases in Pakistan for military action inside war-torn Afghanistan, fearing it might lead to his country being "targeted in revenge attacks" by terrorists. Washington wanted Islamabad to use its influence to prevent a Taliban takeover in Kabul. US policy makers also want Pakistan to join a US-led alliance to contain China’s growing influence in the region.
