As US troops arrive in Pakistan from Afghanistan, Netizens are mocking PM Khan’s famous “Absolutely Not” statement. With “Absolutely Yes” trending on Twitter, social media users are calling out PM Khan for allegedly taking another “U-turn.”
Sunday, a special army flight from Kabul containing US troops landed in Islamabad airport. According to details, the city’s hotels will accommodate the troops. As suicide attacks rock Kabul, mass evacuations are being conducted.
On this note, the government asked the administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad to make arrangements for accommodating more than 15,000 people from Afghanistan in the next two or three weeks.
Read more: Kabul blasts kill 28 Taliban members, evacuation deadline unchanged
The evacuated personnel also included US troops who are staying in Islamabad’s hotels. Twitteratis reacted to the news by criticizing PM Khan and accusing him of going back on his earlier “Absolutely Not” statements.
https://twitter.com/SheetPak/status/1432181907916136452?s=20
In June, PM Khan firmly stated that Pakistan will not host US troops for future operations in Afghanistan. The statement from PM Khan came during an interview with Jonathan Swan of HBO Axios.
“Will you allow the American government to have the CIA here in Pakistan to conduct cross-border counter-terrorism missions against Al Qaeda, ISIS, and the Taliban?” Swan asked the premier.
“Absolutely not,” PM Imran Khan responded.
However, with the US troops in Islamabad now, Netizens are expressing their disapproval.
On the other hand, some Twitteratis stated that accomodating US troops for transit is very different from allowing military bases. Instead of criticizing PM Khan, Pakistan’s hospitality should be appreciated. They also stated that allowing US troops in Pakistan is a win for the country since it re-affirms Pakistan’s important role in the Afghan peace process.
Read more: Pakistan would ‘absolutely not’ allow US bases in Pakistan, PM Khan
#American 🇺🇸 special army plane landed in #Pakistan 🇵🇰
We should seize this opportunity to better our ties rather than making ridiculous statements & provocative headlines.
No need to confuse transit passages with military bases.
— Javairyah Kulthum Aatif (@JavairyahAatif) August 30, 2021
Pakistan playing a strong role in the evacuation process
Due to the volatile situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan has been vamping up evacuation efforts. As many as 400 special flights carrying Afghan nationals and foreigners from Kabul have departed from and arrived at the Islamabad International Airport (IIAP) since the Taliban took over on Aug 16.
According to sources, 10,000 to 15,000 Afghan nationals and foreigners evacuated from Afghanistan will arrive at the airport in the next couple of weeks as 2,000 to 2,200 evacuees will arrive at the airport per day.
Read more: Pakistan to formulate a strategy for the rehabilitation of Afghanistan