Pakistani national security adviser says abrupt US withdrawal from Afghanistan ‘not ideal’

US Army soldiers return home from a 9-month deployment to Afghanistan on December 10, 2020 at Fort Drum, New York, US. (AFP/File

• Moeed Yusuf says US has assured it won’t blame Islamabad to save face in Afghanistan
• NSA reiterates Pakistan would not allow the US to use its air bases

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr. Moeed Yusuf said on Thursday the US decision to “abruptly withdraw” its forces from Afghanistan was not “ideal,” though he added that the new American administration had promised not to scapegoat Pakistan for its own face-saving in the war-battered country. 
Last month, Yusuf held an important meeting with his American counterpart Jake Sullivan in Geneva in which the two officials “discussed a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues,” according to an official statement. 
“We want to highlight Pakistan’s efforts to bring about peace in Afghanistan since we are concerned about the international media which was and remains against our country,” Yusuf said on a primetime show on DawnNews TV. “We are not going to allow anyone to blame Pakistan to save face in Afghanistan.” 
“We are asking [the US] to bring the opponents [in Afghanistan] to the negotiating table and make a roadmap before leaving [the region],” he said. 
Yusuf maintained that Pakistan’s entire focus was to make negotiations possible in Afghanistan and facilitate the warring factions in the country reach an amicable political settlement.
He also expressed concern about the Afghan economy which is likely to face challenges after the withdrawal of the foreign forces.
“As long as there is no economic sustainability, Afghan economy will not be able to stand on its own feet,” he said. “Who can give them the regional connectivity they desire other than Pakistan? We can even help Afghanistan with the foreign investment it requires in which the United States and China can play a major role. Pakistan is the lynchpin here.”
The Pakistani NSA reiterated that his country would not allow the US to use its air bases.
He also said Pakistan should be more proactive in its diplomatic approach and clearly communicate its priorities to the United States and the rest of the international community instead of waiting to hear from the world about what it wants.
Yusuf said it was up to the Afghans how they wanted to decide their political future, though he added that Pakistan was concerned about militant activities in Afghanistan.