‘US military trainers allowed, but not drones’: Report
Senior Pakistani official tells Fox News that drones can never return to Pakistan.
CIA’s biggest weapon in attacking militant hideouts in Pakistan’s tribal areas – drones – “can never return”, a senior Pakistani official told Fox News on Friday.
“They will never be allowed back, at Shamsi or anywhere else,” the official told Fox News on condition of anonymity. However, he added, that the US military trainers will be invited back into the country “as early as April or May” to assist the Pakistani forces in fighting against the militants.
The report also said that Pakistan will reopen Torkham and Chaman border crossings into Afghanistan to resume the Nato supplies that were earlier stopped after the November 26 Nato strike on the Salala checkpost.
“After this is presented to the Americans, a lot could happen very quickly,” the official told Fox News.
The Pak-US relationship suffered massive lows during the past year after several incidents, including the May 2 Abbottabad raid and the Raymond Davis saga, took place. Pakistan responded aggressively to the US by closing down supply routes to Nato troops in Afghanistan and closing down the Shamsi airbase that was being used for the drone attacks.
Earlier this week, Pakistan refused US special envoy Marc Grossman’s visit to the country saying that it was not prepared yet and is still reviewing its policy regarding its relationship with the US.
Pentagon spokesman Capt John Kirby told Fox News, “We understand the government of Pakistan is still working on its review of US-Pakistan relations, and we have not yet received a formal report from the government… Decisions about the level of Pakistani commitment to our military relationship are obviously theirs to make, and we respect that.”
Spokesperson US State Department Victoria Nuland, in a press briefing on Friday, also expressed that the US was not hurt by Pakistan not letting Grossman visit, rather it is willing to give space to the country’s parliament to review the relationship.
“They will never be allowed back, at Shamsi or anywhere else,” the official told Fox News on condition of anonymity. However, he added, that the US military trainers will be invited back into the country “as early as April or May” to assist the Pakistani forces in fighting against the militants.
The report also said that Pakistan will reopen Torkham and Chaman border crossings into Afghanistan to resume the Nato supplies that were earlier stopped after the November 26 Nato strike on the Salala checkpost.
“After this is presented to the Americans, a lot could happen very quickly,” the official told Fox News.
The Pak-US relationship suffered massive lows during the past year after several incidents, including the May 2 Abbottabad raid and the Raymond Davis saga, took place. Pakistan responded aggressively to the US by closing down supply routes to Nato troops in Afghanistan and closing down the Shamsi airbase that was being used for the drone attacks.
Earlier this week, Pakistan refused US special envoy Marc Grossman’s visit to the country saying that it was not prepared yet and is still reviewing its policy regarding its relationship with the US.
Pentagon spokesman Capt John Kirby told Fox News, “We understand the government of Pakistan is still working on its review of US-Pakistan relations, and we have not yet received a formal report from the government… Decisions about the level of Pakistani commitment to our military relationship are obviously theirs to make, and we respect that.”
Spokesperson US State Department Victoria Nuland, in a press briefing on Friday, also expressed that the US was not hurt by Pakistan not letting Grossman visit, rather it is willing to give space to the country’s parliament to review the relationship.