US to vacate airbase on Dec 11: Gilani

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Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday said the United States will vacate the strategically important Shamsi airbase on December 11.
The Defence Committee of the cabinet (DCC) on Saturday asked the U.S. to vacate Shamsi airbase in Balochistan hours after the NATO fighter jets and helicopters bombed two border posts in Mohmand tribal region and killed 24 soldiers.
The U.S. has been using the airbase for nearly 10 years for military operations in Afghanistan and spy aircraft strikes in the tribal regions.
“The U.S. will vacate the airbase by December 11,” Prime Minister Gilani told reporters in Karachi. He said Pakistan has sent a formal letter to the U.S. to vacate the airbase.
The government has also closed supply line for U.S-led NATO troops in Afghanistan as a protest to the strikes and decided to boycott the next week Bonn Conference on the future of Afghanistan.
Gilani said Afghan President Hamid Karzai called him on Tuesday and called for a review of the decision Bonn Conference boycott but he said, “Pakistan cannot put at risk its own security for Afghanistan.”
“I had told President Karzai that Afghan soil was used for the attack on Pakistan and we are protesting over the attacks,” he said.
“Pakistan wants a guarantee for its security,” Gilani said, adding that Afghan President argued that the U.S. and NATO had carried out the attack on Pakistani posts and Afghanistan had not been involved.
“Bonn Conference will be held for Afghanistan’s security but who will guarantee our security in view of NATO strikes,” the Prime Minister asked.
“We cannot attend Bonn Conference unless we are guaranteed respect to our sovereignty, independence and security,” Gilani said, when asked about international appeals to Pakistan to change its boycott decision.
Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Markel and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed regret over Pakistan’s decision and asked for its review.

10 COMMENTS

  1. Hey Gilani…. Hey Zardari this is the right time that, u can play ur cards and also u can play with the amotions of pakistani pll… u know we r bloody stupid and again we will give u vote as we done on the death of benazir bhutto… so do not worry u all can do it… go ahead we are wid u!:))

  2. are you crazy? PM and President have sold Pakistan against dollars…you think it will ever happen? they can come and kill anyone in pakistan and this will not stop as long as puppet PM and dollar hungry,Ghaddari is there!

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