Pakistan NSA says, word ‘base’ never mentioned in talks with US 

Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Moeed Yusufsaidno US official or lawmaker asked for a military base in Pakistan, a Dawn report said.

Yusuf gave the statement while leaving forIslamabad on Thursday night.He was ona10-day visit to the United States capital.

Summing up the visit, thenational security adviser toldUS-based Pakistani journalists,“The word base was not mentioned, not even once, during our talks, except in the media.Bases were not discussed at all from either side during this trip because we have already made our position clear. That chapter is closed."

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Earlier,there werereports in boththeUS and Pakistani media, whichsaidthat theUSwas seeking military bases in Pakistan to influence developments in Afghanistan,especiallyif the Taliban seized Kabul.

TheUS officialsalsodid talk about using Pakistani airspacetoreach Afghanistan and having bases in the region butthere was no mention of the locationata recent congressional hearing.

UnderliningPakistan’s desire to maintain good ties with bothWashingtonandBeijing,Yusufsaid,“If there are tensions between the United States and China, we cannot say that our relations with both will remain seamless.”