At this point in time, it would make more sense for Pakistan to acquire the necessary drone technology from the US
WAH CANTT: On June 18, 2004, a drone attack on a mud house in a village near Wana, South Waziristan, left five to eight people dead, including a prominent militant commander, Nek Muhammad Wazir. Such drone attacks inside Pakistani territory have still not ceased, with the latest one that took place on November 11 that resulted in the killing of six militants in the village of Dawa Toi in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan. Our foreign ministry was quick to condemn this attack. I believe that the accuracy and efficiency of drone technology cannot be denied as drone missiles can target even a rupee coin lying inside the floor of a house accurately, but the number of innocent people who die due to the collapse of temporary mud houses in the surrounding areas owing to a drone strike is a price that we should not be prepared to pay.
These casualties are not and should not be acceptable to Pakistan. Today, the use of drone technology is a thorn in Pakistan-US relations. The misuse of this technology by foreign powers — trying to further their interests in a territory that is not theirs — is also the reason why Pakistan today is plagued by all kinds of hardline militants groups. It is a well-known fact that drones are much better than fighter jets in targeting militants in the short range, and even targeting selected people in a large group. Drones can play an important role in making military operations successful. However, allowing an external power to use drone technology to fight our own wars means that the initiatives we have taken to root out militancy may be compromised as a result, with goals of foreign powers being furthered. At this point in time, it would make more sense for Pakistan to acquire the necessary drone technology from the US, embrace it at military institutions and use it to fight its wars. Indeed, the cost of acquiring and operating such a technology may be high, but certainly not higher than the cost Pakistan has paid in the war on terror.
Muhammad Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2014.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
