The writer is Lead Editor, Journal of International Affairs and Columbia University Master’s Dual Degree Candidate
That may have been where the diplomatic pageantry and empty rhetoric ended and the real issues at hand came to the forefront. On top of Sharif’s agenda in changing the dynamic in the US-Pakistan relationship is, of course, the CIA’s drone programme.
Speaking to reporters only hours after his victory speech in Lahore, Sharif demanded an end to the drone programme, arguing that it was “challenging our sovereignty”. Although not as outspoken as rival candidate Imran Khan in his criticisms of both the Musharraf and Zardari governments’ relatively complicit relations with Washington on allowing drones to enter Pakistani airspace, Sharif has stepped up his condemnations in recent days under public pressure to establish himself as an independent leader, not subservient to American demands.
He has the public support and electoral legitimacy to demand an end to a programme that has overseen the killings of roughly 3,500 Pakistanis since 2004, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. The attacks have paralysed Pakistani society killing innocent civilians largely in South Waziristan, where there remains a large concentration of the Taliban and al Qaeda members.
In an example of the United States’ paternalistic relationship with Pakistan on the issue, the Obama Administration in December 2010 publicly derided Islamabad for what it said were credible reports that thousands of political separatists and captured Taliban insurgents had been possibly tortured or killed by the Pakistani police and security forces in South Waziristan. The denunciation came at around the same time the CIA itself was escalating the number of drone strikes in both North and South Waziristan. According to data compiled by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, there were 14 attacks in these regions in December 2010 alone that killed roughly 130 people, making that month one of the bloodiest in the nearly decade-long US drone campaign in Pakistan.
President Obama’s first acknowledgment on even the existence of the programme came during his much publicised speech last week on the future of US counterterrorism strategy. In the address, he defended his administration’s use of drones as “legal” instruments of military technology needed in the country’s “war” on al Qaeda, even though legal scholars have unanimously derided the strikes as illegal under international law because the US is not officially at war with either al Qaeda or any other terrorist organisation. In contending the legality of drone attacks, an increasingly hawkish Obama opened a new chapter in the oft-fraught relations with Pakistan by effectively challenging Sharif not to act on his recent promises.
President Obama may have sent further warnings to Sharif in the latest US drone attack on Pakistani soil, and the first since the election that targeted a home near the Pakistan-Afghan border. The assault killed four people and injured four others. The timing of the attacks was not coincidental, analysts say, coming on the same day that newly elected provincial assembly members of the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkwa province took their oaths of office. Imran Khan’s PTI will lead a coalition government in the region and American intelligence officials remain greatly wary of the PTI’s strong anti-drone stance.
With a security and electricity crisis dominating the public discourse, Sharif may choose not to tackle the issue of drones as aggressively in his first 100 days in office. But, it is in this short window of time, where he can legitimately and forcefully address the issue to Washington. If he chooses not to, the relentless attacks will continue, killing more civilians and further destabilising Pakistani civil society and the public trust in his mantra of change will be shattered.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4th, 2013.
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@naeem khan Manhattan,Ks: Let us say for the sake of argument that America is bad and its foreign policy is bad. What gives any organization or culture moral authority to unleash terror against the peaceful common citizens of Pakistan? The savage and brutal killings of innocent Pakistanis and targeting of tombs of revered saints, minorities, schools and children are all good because the killers are upset with the US? How on earth can anybody even try to justify the indiscriminate killings of tens of thousands of innocent Pakistanis? If one of my family members is killed by a foreign power that means I should declare a war on the people of Pakistan who have nothing to do with the killings. Yet you claim to live in the US write without much logic in killings of many times more innocent people?
@Mirza: Obviously you are not a Pukhtun and don't understand the culture of Pukhtuns in the tribal areas. My maternal family comes from S Waziristan and I was raised in Mardan, I understand fully their grievances, if you kill them then they are going to kill you, it is as simple as that. Did you witness any suicide bombings or other killings in KP or rest of Pakistan before the Americans invaded and occupied Afghanistan. Did you see any Pakistani, Afghan or Iranian hijacking the planes and attacking the US on 9/11, but Pakistanis are bearing the brunt of that attack. Pukhtuns are in majority in Afghanistan and their kith and kin live across the border in Pakistan, do you really think that they will sit on their hands while their families are being killed day in and day out by the so called international forces in Afghanistan. You are naive to think that it is all about Taliban and Al Qaeda , why did they go to Iraq and for what reason, did Iraqis participated in 9/11, I say not. it is time Pakistanis start thinking about their own country and stop being a vessel for other countries like Pakistani leadership has done for decades.
Recently the head of International Red Cross has come out and questioned the legality of drone attacks in Pakistan. I say it is time for Pakistan to stand up and be counted, the government should negotiate with Obama administration on this issue but if they still refuse to budge from their stance then Pakistan does and should have the options open to them, namely the transit facility they have been providing for years to the US. I recall that Pakistan did nuclear tests right after India did inspite of the warnings from President Clinton, sanctions were imposed on Pakistan by US , Pakistani nation survived the sanctions. Those who think that a Super Power could do anything their heart desire, well, they have also some limitations specially economic, political and military. Obama should know that the cost of withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 will be prohibitive if Karachi port is denied to them. The American Congress is already taking steps to drastically reduce the nation's debt and the budget, it will be difficult for Obama to continue his murderous ways in FATA where thousands of innocent civilians has been killed. By the way I am still questioning and puzzled why Obama was given the Nobel Peace Prize for what services he had rendered to the humanity around the world. It seems he had increased the killing of innocent civilians in Tribal Areas than his predecessor Bush did. Pakistanis has to tighten up their belts too and pulled their boot straps in order to face the wrath of jelted Obama but believe me it will be good for the Pakistani nation to stand up on their own feet and refrain from asking hand outs from Americans or any other country. Please stand up to the bullies once in your life time.
@Rex Minor: It is the Taliban who are living in caves not Americans the last I checked.
No one can govern Americans in executing drone strikes ethically; it is all political talk to appease anti drone campaigners rather alleviating Pakistan’s concerns. One US President would say one thing and another would come later saying the opposite, we have been treated like this far too long by them. We as a nation must reflect and find out why we provide opportunity to the so-called mightiest power on earth to decimate our sovereignty in the name of defending themselves. We had created Taliban but neither made Al Qaeda nor did we generate the anti-American sentiments amongst the Muslims around the world, Americans are to be blamed themselves. We are unfortunately a nation of beggars unable to choose our destiny amongst the comity of nations. We pay our bills but somehow the money doesn’t end up in purchasing fuel for the power stations. Our neighbours, namely China and India are progressing so fast that we would be left far behind soon; this is because we are not moving in the same direction as yet. We are more interested in religious agenda for Pakistan rather scientific and technological. We are ashamed of ourselves and hope that one day a leader would emerge to take us out of this mess and tap on our real potentials. The new leaders must sense our great expectations. Our respect is so much lost that drones symbolise this insult even if they kill our enemies.
From war on terror to enduring freedom and then back to enduring Drone terror aginst the pashtun people, who number more than sixty million, the Taliban special forces have managed in a decade to degrade the once only super power in the world with its marines and seals to a rag tag force relying on unmannd Drones and negotiating with the Talibans who now control most provinces of Afghanistan including those formerly under the command of War Lordrs, and Pakistan leadership to extricate their forces and equipment from the war front. .
The writer from the holy land of plenty not only writes well but has articulated the political situation in the USA as well as Pakistan as is perceived from the media. It is a sham that the commentaters are prepared to accept furthe casualties rather than a dialogue for peace which the majority seek and voted in a Government for this task. It is a shame when people confront history.
Rex Minor
If you were to read about "relentless attacks ..... Killing more civilians" in Pakistan you might think that the article was about all the Pakistanis (30,000 plus) slaughtered (plus probably twice that may maimed) by the TTP types over the last decade or so!!! But Noooo, this article is all about those EVIL DRONES who have targeted the Good/Bad Taliban (oops, I meant to say "innocent civilians") carrying heavy machine guns, rocket propelled grenades, suicide vests, IEDs and AK-47s while openly residing and operating (and killing) from their Pakistani "safe havens"!!! By the way, notice how almost EVERY picture of Taliban types (oops again, I meant "innocent civilians") shows them carrying an assort of military type weapons and/or explosives!!! As for "killing 3500 Pakistanis", the author neglects to tell us how he KNOWS that these were all "innocent Pakistanis", and not a single "foreign fighter" was ever touched! The FATA region will probably continue to see drone strikes until the Pakistani government actually extends the "sovereignty of the state" to the region, eliminating the safe havens where the writ of the Pakistani government does not exist! (Just another item totally missing from the authors worldview)!
The Pakistani establishment is responsible for the instability within and around their borders. Pakistani leaders continue to malign the very selective and precise use of drones. It serves their purpose. They can look the other way and still blame the "evil Satan".
The drones are targeting the most vicious terrorists. Without them the Al Qaeda, LET, Taliban etc. would have no fear. Who would they fear in Pakistan? Civilian deaths of innocent people is tragic but the numbers are very low when compared to the wanton destruction wrought by the likes of Taliban. And it is likely that these nilihists are using civilians as shields to stir the emotions of the public. If they can crash planes and shoot children like Malala, they are quiet capable of just that. The bald duplicity continues and yet one more reason is given to deflect responsibility.
This is one of the most misleading and one sided Op Ed that I have seen in ET. The writer tried his best to state that drones have terrorized the Pakistani population and disrupted normal life in the country. The facts prove otherwise. He ends his Op Ed with “the relentless attacks will continue, killing more civilians and further destabilising Pakistani civil society and the public trust in his mantra of change will be shattered.” While drones have killed hundreds of known foreign jihadists there are very few casualties of innocent people. Even by the reports he is referring to the number is in a few hundred not thousands. On the contrary these global jihadists have played havoc with the lives of our innocent Pakistani civilians. Missing from his Op Ed is the deaths, bombings, blowing up, maiming and beheadings of up to 60 thousand innocent Pakistanis by these terrorists hiding in the safe havens and training more for more murders. Would anybody try to justify the butchering of Pakistanis almost every day in response to the occasional drone attacks on the safe havens? What is the need of TTP and global jihadists in Pakistani territory? What kind of war are thy fighting against Pakistani citizens and why? Are Pakistani victims of these terrorists responsible for drone attacks? There is no outrage against the terrorism imposed on Pakistani people and the writer is pretending it is the drone program that has disrupted the lives in Pakistan!