Report in Dawn, Dec 14th, 2023
QUETTA: A member of the caretaker government of Balochistan on Wednesday raised eyebrows by suggesting that Pakistan should offer the United States “drone bases to target militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan”.
However, caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai subsequently deleted his post on X (formerly Twitter), where he had proposed a set of seven counterterrorism measures.
But when asked about his tweet and why he deleted it, at a subsequent press conference, he simply said: “No comment regarding provision of drone base to the US.”
In the now deleted post, Mr Achakzai had shared a series of suggestions, saying: “We must consider reprisal attacks in Afghanistan.”
He had said “special targeted operations, air strikes, border closure with Afghanistan, return of Afghan refugees, anti-TTA political opposition gathering in Islamabad” must be considered.
“Last, offer US drone bases to target [Al Qaeda] and other militants sanctuaries in Afghanistan,” he wrote in the now-deleted post on X.
He had also stressed the need for conveying a message to the Afghan Taliban, stating, “We will not tolerate this double game. Enough is enough.”
The issue of US drone bases in Pakistan has remained a contentious one in the past.
While drones were primarily used by the US to eliminate targets in Afghanistan, a number of militants wanted by Pakistan — including high-profile Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan commanders, Baitullah and Hakimullah Mehsud — were also killed in drone attacks.
The Shamsi airbase in Balochistan was said to be one such location, where classified drone flights against Al Qaeda, Taliban and other militant groups operating on both sides of the border used to fly from.
However, following a 2011 Nato airstrike in Salala, which claimed the lives of around two dozen Pakistani soldiers, the US was asked to vacate the base……
https://www.dawn.com/news/1797666/after-suggesting-drone-bases-for-us-achakzai-has-second-thoughts
