Bilawal slams Imran Khan, says PM’s claim of refusing US military bases in Pakistan is ‘false’

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 9 (ANI): Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday slams Prime Minister Imran Khan over his claims of taking a stand against allowing military bases in Pakistan.

He said that the claims of Khan were false because no one had made a request for the bases to the government, reported Dawn.

Addressing a public gathering in Haveli during his campaign for the upcoming Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) elections, he said, “You must have been hearing that the US will not be given bases and the prime minister has taken a stand. To tell you the truth, no one has even asked him, no one has made him a phone call, no one has asked him for a base, he is just saying it on his own,” reported Dawn

Last month, Prime Minister Imran had said that Pakistan would “absolutely not” allow any bases and use of its territory to the US for any sort of action inside Afghanistan.

“Absolutely not. There is no way we are going to allow any bases, any sort of action from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan. Absolutely not,” the prime minister told Axios on HBO in an interview. The video clip of this statement by the premier went viral on social media and was widely shared by government accounts, reported Dawn.

Bilawal in his speech said former military dictator retired Gen Pervez Musharraf had provided bases to the US and it was the PPP that closed them. “If today they’re still closed then because of whom? Because of the PPP,” he added.

Bilawal claimed that it was only the PPP that had taken a stance against Washington and closed bases during its tenure, reported Dawn.

He recalled that after the Salala incident of 2011, the parliament at the time took a stand about closing US bases and shutting NATO supply lines until the US apologised for martyring Pakistani troops.

“And this strength is only in a national and democratic parliament, this puppet govt does not have that strength to do such big things,” he said, referring to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government.

Lashing out at the government in the Centre, he said it was “snatching roti, kapra aur makaan (bread, clothing and house)” from the people who were now looking towards the PPP to come into power by becoming the people’s voice. (ANI)