A file photo of a drone. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
ISLAMABAD: A Foreign Ministry official condemned Wednesday's drone strike which killed seven people in North Waziristan as a breach of sovereignty.
"Any drone strike is against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan and we condemn it," the official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters.
The strike, reported by security officials, was the first such attack since a May 11 general election in which the use of the unmanned aircraft was a major issue.
US President Barack Obama recently indicated he was scaling back the drone strike programme, winning cautious approval from Pakistan.
Security officials and tribesmen said the drone fired two missiles that struck a mud-built house at Chashma village, 3km east of Miranshah.
They said seven people were killed and four wounded. It was not immediately clear if the victims were the intended targets.
"Tribesmen started rescue work an hour after the attack and recovered seven bodies," said resident Bashir Dawar. "The bodies were badly damaged and beyond recognition."
Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif said this month that drone strikes were a "challenge" to Pakistan's sovereignty.
"We will sit with our American friends and talk to them about this issue," he said.
COMMENTS (28)
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It is certainly not a coincidence that the drone came on the day of KPK assembly oath taking..A very clear message as to who is in control.....
@hker, mostly the drones are accurate enough to target the real house and not the adjacent one. Secondly, there is a thing called collective responsibility. If u support them and are ok with them living in ur neighbourhood its ur own fault. If u r too afraid to fight them, its ur own fault too. As long as launch attacks on ISAF in Af they will keep hitting the rear bases in pk.
@Mirza: Both drones and PAF jets use precision munition. However using precision munition from Jet is altogether different from using PGBs from drones since drones have more comprehensive situation awareness (due to installed spyware) and than jets are usually dependent upon ground pointers for lighting their targets.Moreover, the better loitering of drones ensure that drones have enjoy better window of opportunity than jets.
@hindi You dont shoot drone with nukes :) how innocent
@Mirza: Excuse me. Let me rectify you. First of all, they are not proven terrorist. USA has no clew to share with the people of its global Alliance countries, that whether these are the real people who targetted in the WTC in 2001. Secondly, lets suppose(while keeping in mind that they are not proven terrorist), if they are terrorists, Jihadis is not a right word to use. The correct word is "Mujahid", which is not used for terrorist.
Also, the alarming situation for us is that innocent people including Women & Children are being killed through these non-sense strikes.
Last but not the least, we are among those people, who keep condemning & discussing for weeks, against any single murder (like in London in recent days) or Mass killing incident in the so-called "Super Power" USA (like in Sandy Hook). Because they are like our fathers of the nation, and we really feel their pain. But we forget that how brutally, these innocent are being killed.
We also have come across some very valid information many times that our neighboring countries' Secret Agencies are working so deep inside, and have deployed their agents as "Khateebs" of Masajids. But we are still blind, and don't want to dis-obey our "Friends of Pakistan".
pakistan has nuclear weapons... :)
@Imran: @Naya Pakistan?: How LAME of you. You don't even know who has the authority, and yet you are blaming PTI. IK phobia?
PML(N) government is not yet in place, therefore blaming NS is not a very wise thinking. Also it would take sometime to settle down and make changes in foreign policy.
Shame Shame
Drones only lands on target once complete working on ground let us not fool each other missiles are guided on the house by own people find who are they and how much they are paid for-
@those who are criticizing PTI, lets see their response first, then we will judge them. but pmln has clearly said that they will not fulfil their promises of loadsheding end, what you say about it? :P
@Imran: Do you have any idea who controls the defence ministry and FATA? First get your facts right and then criticise!
TTP never targeted by these drone who are destroying schools and killing security personals and pick up any body from any where crosses all the barriers and check points reach tribal area what a security arrangements to be proud off.
The ignorance of some people is appalling! FATA is FEDERALLY administered tribal areas, which means it is run by the government in the center, not by PTI in KPK.
@ Imran and Naya Pakistan....
They haven`t taken the oath yet.... It's like blaming PML N for electricity woes...... And beside that shooting down drones is federal government authority....
I see some politically ignorant people asking PTI about the drone. If and only if you guys had some sense you, would know;
PTI has not taken the oath yet A provincial govt cant make foreign policyBut ignorance is blessing for some people
Long live the drones !
@Mirza: mirza imagine those killed were your relatives, who are innocent but attacked because the house next to them is occupied by "not yet proven" terrorists.
alas on your thinking
The new Pakistani adminisrration will have a tough time getting IMF sanctions as well as negotiating with taleban.
@sensible: yes,if TTP leadership dead
Oh dear
Violation of our sovereignty would end when all the global jihadis leave Pakistan and Pakistan establishes its writ. Till such time it is a fair game for all. When the worst foreign terrorists and killers of 60 thousand Pakistanis are roaming around there is no question of our sovereignty. Only today Pakistanis jets were pounding these areas with not so accurate bombs. Drones are only helping us with smart bombs with min collateral damage.
Test for both: The Tiger and the Hunter.
so much for that statement from washington last week...
What up PTI ? What is PTI doing ? If you cant handle a province leave its leadership !!
These will be my words whenever a drones takes place as soon as PTI CM takes charge !
I thought PTI was going to gun down Drones, stop NATO supplies and Taliban were going to stop their attacks in KPK but none of the above happened which is really sad...
And they are back. Sigh.