Afghan war cannot be fought in Pakistan: PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

Reacting to President Trump's Afganistan strategy, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said today his country would like to "see effective and immediate US military efforts to eliminate sanctuaries harbouring terrorists on Afghan soil".

This is the first time the Pakistan Prime Minister has reacted after US President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday that his administration could "no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe haven".

"We would like to see effective and immediate USmilitary efforts to eliminate sanctuaries harbouring terrorists and miscreants on Afghan soil, including those responsible for fomenting terror in Pakistan," the Prime Minister's office said in a statement.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"The Afghan war cannot be fought in Pakistan," the Prime Minister's office added.

Pakistan's foreign ministry had earlier said it wanted "peace and stability in Afganistan". The ministry said Pakistan continued to desire to work with the International Community to "eliminate the menace of terrorism".

Pakistan's foreign minister Khawaja Asif had said that the US should not use Pakistan as a "scapegoat" for its failures in America's longwar in Afghanistan.

After Trump's new Afganistan policy, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson refused to rule out the use of military action, involving air strikes, on terror groups in Pakistan. He also indicated cutting off Pakistan's status as a privileged military ally if Islamabad doesn't crack down on the Taliban and other extremist groups.