Drone campaign: Pakistan summons US envoy, lodges protest
Amidst a sudden surge in US drone strikes in the tribal regions, Pakistan has once again protest the drone campaign which, it says, infringes on its sovereignty.
US Charge d’affairs Richard Hoagland was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday to convey the government’s serious concern on drone strikes in the tribal regions, according to a statement released by the Foreign Office.
“He was informed that the drone strikes were unlawful, against international law and a violation of Pakistan’s
sovereignty. Parliament had emphatically stated that they were unacceptable. Drone strikes represented a clear red-line for Pakistan,” said the statement.
It added that a separate demarche was lodged with Ambassador Hoagland on the seizure of unauthorised weapons from the possession of US diplomats in Peshawar on Monday.
“He was informed that the carrying of unauthorised weapons by diplomats was unacceptable and contrary to both Pakistani law and accepted norms of diplomatic conduct,” according to the statement.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2012.
COMMENTS (7)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
@Solomon2: Utter nonsense, there are procedures to be followed for a preemptive strike. You can not launch random attacks on residential areas of your allies even under the law of jungle(except the US's version of it). According to your twisted logic the terrorist attacks on WTC were justified,ridiculous logic
“He was informed that the drone strikes were unlawful, against international law and a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. Parliament had emphatically stated that they were unacceptable."
The Pakistani Parliament doesn't set international law. That's handled through bilateral, multilateral, or through a few very specific acts of the U.N. One of these acts, Security Council Resolution 1373, makes it a binding obligation for all states to root out terrorists, terror networks, and terror financing from their territory. Pakistan has had over ten years and still won't commit to doing so; therefore its sovereignty is nulled when others act against Pakistan-based terrorists instead.
Duly noted!
This is only the verbal complaining/protesting call from the eunuchs to their worldly master US' envoys.Nothing is going to be happened and changed by such these types of verbal protesting summons/calls.
"Drone strikes represented a clear red-line for Pakistan",
And what are you doing about the fact that the red line is being repeatedly violated?