Govt needs to ponder over drone attacks

Blog Saturday, January 31st, 2009

This is apropos of the statement of the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, that the United States would continue drone attacks on the suspected targets inside Fata and that this decision has been conveyed to the government of Pakistan.

This is a real worrisome situation as far as regional peace is concerned in general and for the peace and stability in Pakistan in particular.

In fact, there is no change in the foreign policy of America regarding the tribal areas of Pakistan and the issue of Al Qaeda miscreants who are hiding in the tribal belt of Pakistan.

This is evident from the continuance of the post of defence secretary by Robert Gates.

The Obama administration brought many changes in their cabinet after getting into the government but the office of the defence secretary has been occupied by the same person as in the Bush administration.

So it is clear that President Obama is satisfied with the policies and working of the Bush regime as far as Pakistan and Afghanistan is concerned.

Rather this new regime is thinking of deploying 30,000 more troops to the region. All this is untenable and unjustifiable.

Now even the world community and even the close allies of the United States are conceding that these ongoing drone attacks are seriously detrimental as far as the peace and security of this region is concerned.

The visiting British Defence Secretary John Hulton conceded that the continuing US drone attacks in Pakistan were having serious negative fallout on the people of Pakistan’s perception of their government’s counter-terrorism campaign.

Officials say that American drones carried out around 50 attacks last year, killing hundreds of people, including women and children.

Now it is time the Pakistani government thought seriously and pragmatically about the intention of the United States and it should negotiate with the US on an equal basis by engaging international community and the United Nations.

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