Scrutinising the drone war

In the first drone attack since Imran Khan’s rally, five suspected militants were killed in North Waziristan. For the US to carry out this attack serves to confirm that domestic opposition is not going to trump American security concerns and even the worldwide publicity generated by the march will do nothing to sway policy. The only possible alternative to drone attacks is a full-scale operation by the military in North Waziristan, targeting the Haqqani network. For a while, that option seemed to be on the table, although the military has cooled on the idea since then and with winter now approaching, it is unlikely to happen for many months now.

This is the primary conundrum Pakistan faces as it officially condemns drone attacks. The only reason the US relies so heavily on drones is because our military has not stepped up and fought the Afghan Taliban and its allies. So, we end up playing what many perceive as a double game where our public words do not match our private actions. We are active colluders with the US on drone attacks, giving them intelligence and tacit approval. For public consumption, we play dumb. This approach is going to end up blowing up in our faces as it encourages anti-American populism rather than forcing us to look inwards. Our failures in the war against militancy are being projected onto the US, thereby delaying a final reckoning.

The best route the government and the military can now take is that of public honesty. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar came close to doing so when she said that her problem with drone attacks was their legality and that she supported the killing of militants. We need to go a step further and admit our collusion in the drone programme. It may increase short-term pressure on the government but would ultimately make the fight against militancy easier. It would also expose those elements that are trying to appease all sides and in doing so, are making peace more unlikely, as pernicious actors. It is time for the drone war to be calmly scrutinised.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2012.