On Saturday, the Foreign Office (FO) stated in response to a CNN report, clarifying that Pakistan has no deal with the US to allow it to use its airspace for airstrikes in Afghanistan.
The counterstatement was issued hours after the CNN report, which claimed that the Biden Administration had informed the US lawmakers about the nearing deal with Pakistan to use its airspace for military operations to be conducted in Afghanistan. The report cited three different sources which were aware of the details of the classified briefing.
Further, the report argued that Pakistan has expressed its willingness to sign a Memorandum of Understanding in return for help in Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations and managing the relationship with India.
However, the FO spokesman, Asim Iftikhar, clarified that “No such understanding is in place” and that “Pakistan and the US have longstanding cooperation on regional security and counterterrorism and the two sides remain engaged in regular consultations.”