Basit says no US-Pak accord on drone attacks exists

Islamabad, Aug. 10 (ANI): Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit has claimed that no accord on drone attacks exists between Pakistan and US.

The News quoted Basit, as saying that drone attacks had caused more damage than benefit to Pakistan, and Islamabad is perusing dialog with Washington to resolve this issue.

"Due to our close collaboration with US in war on terror, we can devise solution to the problems through positive diplomacy as no other option is left with us", he remarked.

Responding to a question on the presence of US troops on Pak-Afghan border, Basit said Islamabad doesn't want NATO forces to withdraw from the insurgency-hit region in haste.

"We don't want presence of US and NATO forces in the region for a longer period. The situation which arose from withdrawal of Russian forces from Afghanistan created more difficulties for Pakistan.

"Therefore, forces pull out in haste is not correct. We don't want another civil war on soil of Afghanistan," he stressed.

On the question of Afghan infiltration into Pakistani territory, he said there are several training camps operating in Afghanistan which were not in the knowledge of Afghan authorities, and this had led to increasing the problems for Pakistan. (ANI)