National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf has clarified that he never "complained" about US President Joe Biden not calling Prime Minister Imran Khan, barely two days after his interview with the Financial Times.
In the headline, the Financial Times wrote, 'Pakistan’s security adviser complains Joe Biden has not called Imran Khan'.
The interview was picked up by Pakistan's publications that also quoted Yusuf as saying that if United States President Joe Biden continues to ignore Pakistan's leadership, the country has other options.
However, barely two days after the report, Yusuf looked to clarify that it was not a 'complaint'.
Talking to media in Washington DC after holding discussions with the senior Biden administration officials on the evolving security situation in light of the escalating Afghanistan violence, Yusuf said a call is not an issue at all and Biden may call PM Imran when he wants.
“I came here on Prime Minister Imran Khan's directives to figure out a political solution to the Afghan crisis,” Yusuf said, adding that he did not complain about the US president not calling PM Khan.
In the earlier interview, Yusuf had said that if United States President Joe Biden continues to ignore Pakistan's leadership, the country has other options.
Pakistan has 'options' if US continues to ignore its leadership: NSA Moeed Yusuf
Meanwhile, the NSA maintained that he held detailed discussions with US officials about Pakistan’s economic security.
He said that both countries should look to the future, instead of dwelling on the past, when it came to the Afghanistan issue. "We are concerned about the current situation in the country,” he stressed.
Yusuf stated that peace in Afghanistan is in the interest of both Islamabad and Washington. "Unfortunately, Afghanistan has been shifting the blame of its failures on Pakistan," he remarked.
The Afghan government and the Taliban will have to compromise to reach a peace deal, the national security advisor said.
Pakistan can no longer host more Afghan refugees, says Moeed
He said Pakistan has already conveyed that it will not accept a forceful takeover of Kabul.
While responding to a question about the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) conditions, Yusuf said he did not speak on the matter with US officials. “Pakistan has completed work on 26 out of 27 points of FATF action plan. Everyone knows about the Indian NSA’s statement related to Pakistan on the FATF issue.”