Prior to the Cabinet Committee on Defence, meetings were called separately by the civil and military leaders – and both had issued hard-hitting statements.
Before the meeting, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani and Hina Rabbani Khar, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari and condemned the attack.
“This is an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty,” said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. “We will not let any harm come to Pakistan’s sovereignty and solidarity.”
Following a meeting of high-ranking army officials, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, said in a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) that “all necessary steps be under taken for an effective response to this irresponsible act.
“It has been demanded that strong and urgent action be taken against those responsible for this aggression.”
The Foreign Office said it would take up the matter “in the strongest terms” with Nato and the United States.
It summoned US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter and lodged a strong protest against Saturday’s attack.Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir conveyed to the US ambassador that the attack had deeply incensed the government and the people of Pakistan.
The president, prime minister and the government of Pakistan strongly condemn the attacks, he said, terming the assault “totally unacceptable” and constituting “grave infringement of Pakistan’s sovereignty.”
Over in Washington, Iffat Gardezi, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Pakistani Embassy, has lodged a verbal protest over the attack. A Pakistan Embassy spokesperson told The Express Tribune that Gardezi had raised the issue in strong words.
Is this meaningful action?
Though the action has been taken, it remains to be seen how long it will last, and what outcome will be pursued.
The US, a few months back, had turned down Pakistan’s request to close Shamsi base after the Osama Bin Laden incident. Similarly, a similar incident on Sept 30, 2009, which killed two Pakistani troops, led to the closure of one of NATO’s supply routes through Pakistan for 10 days. Nato apologised for that incident, which it said happened when Nato gunships mistook warning shots by the Pakistani forces for a militant attack.
Defence analyst Asad Munir said that the incident will not damage Pak-US relations and the issue would not go beyond closing of Nato supply routes for a few days. “Such incidents have happened in the past and they will apologise after conducting an investigation,” Munir added. Other analysts, including Rustam Shah Mohmand, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, said Pakistan would protest and close the supply lines for some time, but that ultimately “things will get back to normal”.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2011.
COMMENTS (12)
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The US Govt must turnover the American pilots responsible for the attack to Pakistan.
They will be tried and then executed in Pakistan - no more Raymond Davis.
Otherwise - break all relations with USA.
Vienna,November 27,2011 Sovereignty has been lent to Al Queda guests and anti-terror war friends.Own uniforms fight the civilians all over the country. I dread to be born a citizen of land of the pure Pakistan any time after this life setting out soon by sickness of aging. It is not easy even to hit out hot air through the open mouth unlike the pleasant Shehnai of the late Bismillah Khan. Taravadu Taranga Trust for Media Monitoring TTTMM India --Kulamarva Balakrishna
Interestingly no Islamic country has condemned the attack or shown sympathy towards Pakistani Government. Not even a word.
Pakistan army sold our self-respect in Zia era when they started a jihadi for rent policy. Now foriegn forces are attacking our soil everyday and our leaders cannot take any action except empty words.
Drone should have been stopped at first place.... than nato supply and shamsi air base.... you want look into their eyes,,, stop the drone.
Establishment is running the country (with puppet civilian govt.) and this is all they can do. Allah forbid if a real war breaks out
i am wondering if purpose of this attack is to send new suicide bombers from Afghanistan Kunar province to disturb peace in Holy Month of Muharram
Asad Munir is right. The Shamsi Base was supposed to have been closed looong ago during May 2nd Fiasco. There
s no Ghairat. We are all sold off for a few billions. Like the Raymond Davis Fiasco, a few thousand dollars will be thrown at & thats it.Ashamed to say the least. Unfortunately, our leaders never learn. Our Ghairat is taken away by the Americans and Nato and soon we handover our Ghairat to Chinese. Why cant we be independent? Where is our self respect? Does any country dare to send drones into India? Or even anything like May 2nd happen to India? Or to Iran or China? Why only us?
We dont follow the true Islam and this is the cause which is destroying us.
They should never have agreed to secretly allow the drone strikes. The Pakistani leadership should have been brave and taken the moral stand against terrorism and supported the drone strikes openly. Their demonstrated moral cowardice has been followed by the populace and served to enrage and empower a violent minority in the populace and armed forces. The U.S. has been Pakistani's best friend ever, the leadership knows this, but they want to extract as much wealth with as little personal risk or cost as possible; that's the lesson of the earthquakes and floods, that the upper crust spent more entertaining Angelina Jolie when she campaigned for flood relief than they were willing to spend on flood relief themselves. How can the rich expect the poor to be brave when they themselves are cowardly? Even the French aristocracy was better than this: useless fops but willing to risk their lives in war when their King asked.
We must send US and NATO forces back home to safe guard the interest of Pakistan.
Unless these two forces will remain near Pakistan’s soil, the unrest in Pakistan will not come to an end.
This is a whole lot of nothing and empty words. After the storm dies down we would be fine with the previous setup and everything would be normal. All we need is some apology from the NATO and some money flow. Pakistan has no sovereignty since the day we have accumulated jihadist terrorists from all over the world and provided them training and safe havens. It is ironic that even today our army talks about the sovereignty of Pakistan!