It cannot be denied that these strikes cause resentment among the local population. PHOTO: FILE
British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt confirmed for the first time that the British Foreign Office had carried out opinion polls on the CIA drone campaign in Pakistan. These surveys revealed that the proportion of respondents in the tribal areas who believed drone strikes were “never justified” had risen from 59 per cent in 2010 to 63 per cent in 2011.
While there are reports that the UK itself has been complicit in the drone attacks, these surveys may have been funded to find out whether these strikes were actually having the desired result or not. As much as the drone supporters think it is a necessary evil to kill terrorists extrajudicially, it cannot be denied that these strikes cause resentment among the local population. Drone strikes are not just a violation of our sovereignty but in some cases, they further strengthen the militants who gain sympathy. Using the term “collateral damage” for innocent deaths in drone strikes show how callous those controlling the drones can be.
Whether one innocent life was lost or hundreds, the fact remains that drone strikes have proved to be counterproductive. The US should understand that such attacks have only further intensified the hatred against the Americans among the local population in the tribal areas and elsewhere in the country.
With the Pakistan military having made it abundantly clear that this is our war — and those saying otherwise need to take stock of the situation — and that the army is committed to the war on terror, the US should ideally be discussing its options with the next government. However, as recent reports suggest that US drone strikes will continue to be conducted by the CIA for the time being to keep the programme covert, it unfortunately seems unlikely that any change in the US stance on this issue will occur soon.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2013.
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Query. Revisiting the drone policy has lots of upside for Pakistan's govt who will use it to bolster it's image - but where's the upside for the USA? The new govt is already making noise about "making a deal" with the terrorist and nothing in that deal is likely to include eliminating the sanctuaries.