Will the government and the military explain their stand on drone attacks?
PESHAWAR: The tribal elders of a grand jirga from North Waziristan agency have, according to a news report, declared that they will wage a jihad against the US to avenge the damage caused by drone attacks in their area. Apparently, such a declaration is linked with the recent killing of at least 40 people, many of whom were tribal elders. This means that when common people had been targeted by the drones, the elders were mum but now that they themselves have been hit, they have decided to wage a jihad.
Juxtapose this with the recently-reported opinion of the general-officer-commanding of the Seventh Division, a major-general, who said that drone attacks were beneficial in the war. This statement was never contested by either the tribes of Fata or politicians. But after the drone attack following Raymond Davis’s release, we saw both the prime minister and the army chief condemn it.
This is all quite confusing. Will the government and the military explain their stand on drone attacks?
Professor Kabil Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2011.
