After 9/11 America executed two pacts with Pakistan namely Air line of Communication (ALOC) and Ground line of Communication (GLOC) under which USA was entitled to use Shamsi air base in Balochistan near washik and Shahbaz air base Jacobabad in Sindh. These two bases were exclusively under U.S.A control, from where U.S.A aircrafts flew to execute their commanded missions. Shamsi air base was specifically reserved for drone attacks. In the mid of 2011 Shahbaz air base was closed for drone attacks and in Nov 2011 Shamsi air base was banned after Salala attack in Mehmmad Agency.
On 30 April 2020 the Defense Department of USA report said that 815.7 billion Dollars have been incurred on Afghan war, the war on terror. With the USA retreat from Afganistan USA apprehensions are rapidly cropping up that after USA evacuation the splinter groups of Al-Qaeda, Daesh and other groups would regain strength in Afganistan. To fortify its self-assumed apprehensions USA administration is hell-bent to re-gain these bases under the pretext of former agreements of ALOC And GLOC, that USA is still entitled to use these air bases and for this purpose the CIA director William brunse has reportedly met Pak Army Chief General Bajwa, ISI Chief General Faiz Hameed and reiterated its stance to have the privilege to use these two air bases, assuming the two agreements are still in force. The top information has been leaked in an article published in New York Times. It has been disclosed that in outgoing month the national security adviser of Pakistan Mueed Yousaf held a meeting with his American counterpart Jack Salevel and after this meeting the American national security adviser disclosed and reaffirmed that America is highly interested in its stance to have air bases in Pakistan. Having air bases in Pakistan exorbitantly connotes fortifying USA interests through Pakistan and have a strong vigilance over China, Iran and Afganistan, while Taliban had made it vehemently clear that they would not encourage Pakistan to provide bases to USA. Provision of Pakistani soil to USA is, also, not agreeable to China, which is a close ally and supporter of Pakistan since its birth on world map. Neighbouring countries China and Iran will never tolerate that USA be a watch-dog sitting on Pak land. It is not an assumption but an admitted fact that USA wants to use Pak land to fulfil its nefarious designs though Pakistan and former Russian states of Middle East and Russia, too, is a great hurdle in this process. USA engagement with former Russian states will, also, end in fiasco. USA is highly hopeful that CIA might get bases in Pakistan and for this unflinching stance USA is not ready to retreat and the grating experiences of past are ample testimony to the fact that the Musharaf regime had committed blunders while taking decision to provide air bases to USA. It is viably hoped that P.M Imran and Military Establishment will never repeat the blunders of Musharaf and will not let even an inch of Pak soil to USA to further and boost its nefarious designs. The Great Game of USA is now on repulsive mode and despite its hectic efforts to engage the Pak- Administration at all portfolio levels, sheer fiasco will be the end of the last episode of the USA Afghan Drama. America’s dreams of control over the region through air bases in Pakistan will never be materialized, because Pakistan has learnt a memorable lesson from the blunders of the past – Musharaf regime.
Malik Muhammad Aslam Awan
(The writer is a journalist, author of English Book on current affairs
and independent analyst based in Lahore)
E-mail: mlkaslamawan@gmail.com
Gulshan-e-Riaz Colony, Bund Road, Lahore. Cell #: 0313-0063450
