Pakistan Diary: US troops’ stay is temporary, says Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has ruled out a long-term presence of the US troops who came from Afghanistan. His response came after pictures of the troops at Islamabad airport were circulated on social media. All this and more in our weekly news bulletin from Pakistan.

US Marines provide assistance during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Source: Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps via AP

The evacuations were triggered after the US ended its military mission in Afghanistan a day before the stipulated August 31 deadline.

Talking to Dawn, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said that US troops have only been issued short-term transit visas.

"Foreigners coming to Pakistan after evacuation from Afghanistan have been issued transit visas ranging from 21 to 30 days," he said.

Click on the player above to listen to the full audio report by Masood Mallhi. 

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