Imran Khan says he would never have agreed to US demand of military bases in Pakistan

Pakistans ousted prime minister Imran Khan has reiterated that during his time in power he would “never have agreed” to any US demands of being given military bases in the country in the aftermath of the formers evacuation from neighbouring Afghanistan, according to a media report.

The 69-year-old cricketer-turned politician was voted out of power last month through a no-confidence motion, which he alleges was masterminded by the US with the help of local players over his pursuance of an independent foreign policy. He is the first premier in Pakistan whose fate was decided through a no-trust vote.

Addressing the overseas Pakistanis in a video message, Khan said that the US wanted bases in Pakistan in order to “conduct (counter attacks) from here in case if there were any terrorism in Afghanistan” – something Khan said he found “absolutely unacceptable”, Dawn newspaper reported.

He said Pakistan had already lost 80,000 lives in the US-led war on terror and still its sacrifices were never appreciated, with many US politicians blaming it instead.

“First they blamed us, then they didnt appreciate us, our country and tribal areas were destroyed and now (they) are again asking for bases. I would have never agreed to this and the problems (between us) started from there,” he was quoted as saying by the paper.

Khan, in an interview in June 2021, had categorically said that Pakistan would “absolutely not” allow any bases and use of its territory to the US for any sort of action inside Afghanistan.

His latest comments were similar to the ones he made in a recent podcast where he said that the US was “asking for bases here to stop international terrorism in Afghanistan”.

In the video address, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (

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