‘Concerned’ Pakistan Views LEMOA With ‘Suspicion’: Pak Daily

Signing of the LEMOA is being viewed with great concern and suspicion by Islamabad.

Islamabad has issued an alert for a possible attack at the Wagah border in Punjab Pakistan’s side of Punjab. (Photo: PTI)

Pakistan is gravely concerned about the possible outcomes of the recently signed Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) between United States and India.

The pact which will enable the two countries to use each other’s land, air and naval bases is being viewed with great concern and suspicion by Islamabad even though the US has assured that signing of the LEMOA with India will not impact Pakistan’s strategic interests, reports The Express Tribune.

Officials within the Pakistan establishment have refrained from issuing any official statement on the issue, but according to the report, they privately admitted that the Indo-US agreement could alter the balance in South-East Asia in terms of strategic affairs in India’s favour.

Officials said the concerned authorities were looking into the details of the agreement and to assess possible negatives in national security, and Pakistan’s interest.

The report also adds that a senior US official spoke to Pakistani government over the signing of the LEMOA and helped alleviate their concerns while Special Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for South Asia Dr Peter Lavoy and US Special Representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Olson also assured Pakistani authorities that Indo-US agreement would not infringe upon Islamabad’s interests.

However, these assurances have done little to ease growing concerns in Islamabad over the signing of the defence pact.

Source: The Express Tribune