Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has accused the United States of treating Pakistan differently.
“I think that the Americans have decided that India is their strategic partner now, and I think that’s why there’s a different way of treating Pakistan now.” He was quoted as saying to foreign journalists at his home in Islamabad.
The comments come in light of US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover.
“Pakistan is just considered only to be useful in the context of somehow settling this mess which has been left behind after 20 years of trying to find a military solution when there was not one,” the PM continued.
Washington has been pressing Pakistan to use its influence over the Taliban to broker an elusive peace deal as negotiations between the fighters and the Afghan government have stalled, and violence in Afghanistan has escalated sharply.
The charge of supporting the Taliban despite being a US ally has long been a sore point between Washington and Islamabad. Pakistan denies supporting the Taliban.
US forces have continued to use air raids to support Afghan forces against Taliban advances, but it remains unclear if such support will continue after August 31.
Khan said Pakistan had “made it very clear” that it does not want any American military bases in Pakistan after US forces exit Afghanistan.
