Friday, July 1, 2011

Pakistan asks US to vacate airbase http://www.irna.ir/ENNewsShow.aspx?NID=30456024&SRCH=1

Pakistan has asked the United States to vacate a military base in a remote desert area, used by US troops for drone strikes. Talking to media, Pakistani Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar said that the US has withheld the payments of Coalition Support Fund (CSF) while Pakistan has asked Washington to vacate the Shamsi airbase. 'We have told them (US officials) to leave the airbase,' Mukhtar said. The minister said the United States has sought some time to shift its equipment from the Shamsi Airbase.

He added that trust deficit between Pakistan and the United States has increased after the American military raid that killed Osama bin Laden on May 2 in the city of Abbottabad. 'This trust deficit with US could be reduced by sitting together and taking joint actions,' he added.He said Pakistan is not in a position to enter into war with America but Islamabad will have a review afresh its relationship with Washington. Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar said America has agreed to provide two P3C Orion aircraft in place of the two that were destroyed by the terrorists during attack at naval base in the port city of Karachi. He, however, said that Pakistan will have to stand on its feet as it cannot depend on others for its economic and defence needs.

[VS- US rejects demand to vacate Shamsi base http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/01/us-rejects-demand-to-vacate-shamsi-base.html

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