PTI chairman Imran Khan says the will support the government on drones. PHOTO: NNI/ FILE
On a day when the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) withdrew their offer of talks after their high ranking official was killed in a drone attack, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief reiterated his campaign slogan of shooting down the unmanned aircraft.
The PTI, in a statement from their Punjab chief, urged the Prime minister-elect Nawaz Sharif to realise that he had been given a mandate by the people against drone attacks. The PTI chief said that if the US cannot be convinced to stop drone attacks, then the state should shoot them down.
Despite taking up seats on the opposition benches, Imran said that his party would support the government in fulfilling their responsibility on the matter before adding that drone attacks will not be tolerated at any cost.
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people here who are saying that IK is trying to protect the TTP are blinded by their hatred of him so much so that they can't see the bloodshed of their own innocent pakistani brothers and sisters. According to the latest reports about 3000 innocent pakistani civilians died due to "collateral damage" from these drones.Imagine living in FATA knowing that you could be the victim of a drone strike at any moment. It's pathetic how we can't look past our differences and hatred for the sake of Pakistan. Also the US needs Pakistan to get its forces out of Afghanistan next year. It cant afford to be at war with us!
@SavePakistan: You might blame the Americans but the fault always lies with us, if our leaders would have not sold themselves or the country for might dollars, Pakistan would have been a free and sovereign nation among the wold community. It was Mush who has given the Jacobabad air base to the Americans to use and attack with drones, Americans never stopped interfering in Pakistan's internal affairs because the Pakistani ruling class let them. Majority of Pakistani politicians, some bureaucrats and even some military generals owns expensive properties in Europe and the US with ill gotten money and they are the ones who toadies to the whims of Americans. My advice to all Pakistanis is to clean up your own house, tighten the belts and stand up on your own feet and no one will be able to impose their will upon your nation because Pakistan is basically a proud country and people are intelligent and hard working, no doubt about it.
Hey IK.Listen bro just do a fair job in KPK and stop making more fanatics out of mere rhetorics against the drones etc etc...Educate KPK and make a Kala bagh dam as now you can...And for once thank the U.S for killing one of your enemies
@Nazir Basha: Sir, please read carefully what you have said "We are a great nation and have great culture and history. We should deploy our nuclear weapons on US, or otherwise there is no use of those costly toys. One Pakistan soldier is equal to ten US soldiers so we don’t afraid of US or India or Russia. China is ready to help us with their soldiers and arms." I agree with you that you are part of great history and culture of this Indian sub-continent. Rest of your ranting about use of nuclear weapons on US, your one soldier equal to ten US soldiers is all pipe dream and crap produced due to wrong ideas put in your fertile mind. Tell me why should you be afraid of US or India or Russia? And also why should you have these costly toys. What is this phobia about? Lastly; China ready to help with soldiers and arms is a hallucination. Chinese are shrewd business people and use their brains and are not suffering from any hallucinations. Please check up with all wise people of Pakistan. WHAT SAY THEY.
@Nazir Basha: Wow, "one Pakistani soldier is equal to ten US soldiers"!!! Where did you ever dream up that statistic????
Take it easy Mr Khan, step by step a political leader makes a move in international arena! One just does not shoot down the unmanned drone, when your now debunked leadership and the incumbent military chief gave clearance to the so called stealth helicopters, when seen crossing into Pakistan territory, and subsequently deep in a military garison town, indicates that they had the approval for such actions. If not, the new Prme Minister should dress down the diplomatic relations with USA to the council level followed by dilomatic break.
If such steps do not receive a favourable response, the military must do what it needs to do and what is possible to do, in order to protect the integrity of the Nation. And please no threats, just actions.
Rex Minor
I wonder how our brave Army Jawaans feel when they read such careless statements. I can only hope that Imran Khan will stop fighting for the rights of TTP and he will start advocating for Pakistan Army and understand the sacrifices they have made for our peace, our stability..so people like Imran Khan can rest peacefully in his one billion worth Mansion in Bani Gala. Its extremely disrespectful to all Pakistanis when Imran speaks in such manner for we all have suffered the brutality of these barbarians...as if you could really have talks with TTP, as if they would listen or even understand...we can only strike the drones once we have cleaned up our own house of all these barbarians...its that simple to understand but I guess Imran Khan is really sick these days!
@Nazir Basha Nuke the drones?!!-nice strategy!!!;drones might kill 5 people ,nukes will kill 100,000 Pakistanis;no dearth of drones for usa IF one goes down
We are a great nation and have great culture and history. We should deploy our nuclear weapons on US, or otherwise there is no use of those costly toys. One Pakistan soldier is equal to ten US soldiers so we don't afraid of US or India or Russia. China is ready to help us with their soldiers and arms.
@Joy: No Pakistan is Not afraid of America they are just worried of there two square meals. The moment alternative arrangements via China or Saudi is made they will kick America. Wise move.
@SavePakistan: Dear you are not saving Pakistan, by supporting the terrorists, you are aiding destruction of Pakistan. Why do you not sing when these talibans kill thousands of innocent people. thank America for fighting your battle.
NS you are bound to hit the drones. Pakistan demands to stop the insurgency caused by the US.
Now Nawaz Sharif must has to fulfill all his commitments he made in his speeches during his elections' campaigns without showing any hypocrisy because the nation was fed up by PPP's government and elected gave heavy mandate to PML-N in Center and Punjab for change not for the same situations what the nation has faced during the most worst ever PPP's regime and if suppose Nawaz Sharif show hypocrisy then there shall no any difference between PPP's and PML-N's regimes and thus Nawaz Sharif loose his credibility and trustworthiness and shall face the most worst ever defeat and hatred in the next general elections as PPP has seen on May 11,2013.......
@Hitler: They are playing with both and making money for themselves.
Now TTP and IK supporters will start pelting stones to down the drones...
@ashar, FYI, If TTP is in India then Indian government will start drone attacks instead of US, (remember airstrikes in 1999 Kargil?)
Now i understand why he is called taliban khan
@ Sexton Blake Pakistani army and Black water pays its employees what they think that person is worth or what they can afford. What it got to do with my comment or my intelligence is beyond me? Can we get back to the main topic, please.
One question to all drone lovers from India and Pakistan both, what about taking this drone service for Karachi, Mumbai and Lahore.
Or if it happen what is going to be our stand then?who would like to allow his neighbour to climb his wall to correct his astray son? The one with no self respect at all.
@uet: Actually mian sahib made a very clear statement in a press conference in 7th march that he will not tolerate drones if elected. Everyone criticising IK should also explain what mian sahib meant by that....and what he intends to do about it.
IK as usual .All talks and zero action .He has the government in KPK .Why doesn't he shoot down the drones ? So all promises were mere gimmicks ?
@It Is (still) Economy Stupid: Dear Stupid, Pakistan is making almost one and a half million military personnel available in order to assist the US in their futile sub-continent disaster. In payment the US donates approximately $1500,000,000 P.A. to Pakistan.. This works out at about $1,0000 per military person. Blackwater type US mercenaries are paid In excess of $100,000 plus bonuses by the US. Additionally, massive amounts of Pakistan infrastructure are made available to the US for peanuts. By any type of measurement the US is doing very well financially out of the way it is taking advantage of Pakistan.
At last. A note of sanity creeping into Pakistan politics. Shooting down drones is the only thing the low functioning people in Washington will understand. The US say one thing, but mean another. They say "lets negotiate", but plan to kill the people they are negotiating with. It has happened so often, all around the world, I am surprised that the average person continues to be taken in by Americans. Keep up the good work Imran Khan.
Imran knows as well as anyone else that it is not civilians that run the foreign policy and security policy of Pakistan. When you are dependent on the US for spare parts for over half your military equipment, the armed forces would have not have the ability to challenge US supremacy.
Who does Imran think gives the ground intelligence to US for drones if not local residents of FATA? Why do you think they give it if they hate drones so much? (No money cannot be the answer because they are risking their lives when they do so).
IT is also strange to ask for drones to be shot down the day after Pakistan's key enemy was targeted by the drones. Or perhaps Imran did not think Wali-Ur-Rehman was Pakistan's enemy? What happened to the theory that TTP are RAW and CIA agents? CIA targeted their leader and no one in India is complaining but many political leaders i Pakistan are. What does that tell you?
As for those that say that this provided the justification for TTP to not negotiate, let me ask you this - TTP has continued to kill non-combatant women and children, how come that never provided justification to Pakistani state to talk to TTP?
I was actually hoping Pakistan would THANK the US for sending that drone and killing number two of TTP. Wishing you success for getting number ONE very soon.
Khan please get a life. Now you are not in control, your Taliban friends will not be invited to take Pakistan's ideology in their hands. Please go run your province!
Gen. Musharraf always said 'Crush them first' then start dialogue so you are in a position of power.
Hopefully NS and the Army realize the depth of Mush's words.
The statement on drones' shooting shows political imgatmaturity of Ik and his party. The real life realities are altogether different. Talibans who have brought miseries for pakistan, its economy, its people, its social, ethnic and religious fabric must be rooted out. If we could not do it, let Drones do it. Please understand that accommodating Taliban will be disastrous for Pakistan. They are pushing back Pakistan into stone age and dis-reputing Islam.
only Mullah can talk like that. So we shoot down drone and bring US wrath on us. And that what new Pakistan would look like under PTI. stoneage. Why Imran do not ask Pakistan Army to stop buying arms from US.
Imran khan has failed in his responsibility to protect taliban no 2 leader from drone strike. He urges no more harm ro TTP from government and drone! Yes targetting feeble american drones is easy to protect pakistani friends TTP.
@Raj - USA: Mr.Raj..........did u forget 100 thousands casualties (from both side) happened in Kashmir and still counting is on......remember.....talks can only bring the peace rather than military actions.
These two parties and leaders NS and IK were supported and endorsed by TTP. Now Taliban are upset with the death of their number 2 man and their prodigies cannot do anything about that. Even though they had TTP and establishment support neither NS nor IK would dare challenge the US drones. When we cannot control and tame the rag tag TTP, how can we stop the US? This statement shows immaturity and rightwing politics at its worst.
Imran urges Nawaz to shoot down drones if US does not stop attacks----------Nawaz Sharif: US and Pakistan to work collectively against terrorism
Shoot down the drones and save the talibans !!!!!!!!!
An example of political dishonesty. He waited ten years to make this statement and that too because Mian Nawaz Sharif has won the elections.
Army is supposed to defend a country but I don't know what our Army is trying to achieve. Are they partly Pro Americans and partly Pro Talibans?
They should choose a side and destroy the other one no matter what. Give us a hope and don't play with Pakistani people
Ik please can you explain to Pakistani populace after shooting down drone, who will shoot down raptor & who will save your voter from SHOCK & AWE of American forces. Do you or your team member have any analytically skill? You are not a cricketer any more, you are stepping into big boy league so think first then speak not other way around. I hope you read ET carefully so you can get some honest feed back from others.
Now Imran Khan is trying to shift the responsibility to Nawaz Sharif for stopping the Drones. As PTI is now governing KPK, they can take measures to stop such strikes in the province and exert pressure by stopping the NATO supplies. I think Imran is not in a mood to confront Uncle SAM. CHANGE HAS YET TO COME...
In principle I agree with IK that no country should be allowed to assassinate citizens of any other country without declaration of war. However Pakistan is no position to shoot down these drones as most of them are being operated from within Pakistani bases. Also Pakistanis provide intelligence to the dron operators in terms of target selection. Pakistan has dug itself into this mess by choice. Taliban DO need to be dealt with force. If they have a problem with US and Pakistani government and military and they have been wronged by them then it still does not give them the right to go on a killing spree of general population who are not responsible or representative of either of the accused parties. Killing 40,000 plus people by exploding bombs, suicide explosions and indiscriminate firing does not make the Taliban any different than whom they are opposing. Their thirst of blood cannot be justified by painting them as victims. I am pretty sure that if Taliban had the military means that US or Pakistani army possess they would have killed millions in Pakistan and would have turned the country into rubble. Pakistani army, so far, has shown great restraint in dealing with them. These people (Taliban) have never considered themselves to be Pakistani citizens or acted accordingly and should not enjoy the rights that come with citizenship. Criminal gangs like them only understand the language that is spoken through the barrel of a gun.
Imran Khan is spot on. As soon as Pakistan was about to make any progress towards peace through dialogue these drone strikes have hampered it again. Lets see if Nawaz stands up to his promise of no drone strikes (I highly doubt it). Long live Imran Khan, the real lion !!!
Imran Khan is not ready for the office of a PM. If he was a leader material than he would have offered an alternative to deal with the insurgency, it is clear he has no plan. It is easy to issue statements when you are in opposition but it is a different ball game when you are governing. How can you shoot down a drone one day and next day expect Uncle Sam to help you with IMF loan or military assistance or send you money for flood or help out with circular debt? The bitter truth is that Uncle Sam is helping Pakistan by getting rid of these non state actors. Pakistan has too many non state actors or naa malum afrad. Poor Law and Order is one of the reasons for lack of foreign investment in local industry or starting a new factory to create jobs or lack of visit of any credible foreign leader.
Imran can build more pressure on Nawaz then the drone itself! I wonder why so much “Dhandli” was done and PTI was deliberately kept at third in NA… because imagine, if Imran Khan was even just an opposition leader in the national assembly, the pressure that Imran can put, would have been humongous! Look what he did with Altaf, with just one-liner tweeter! Miaan Saab get ready for a roller coaster ride!!!
NS got elected for economic reasons not for shooting down drones. He hardly mentioned anything about drones in his election compaign.
By the way Imran , do you guarantee all the International mercenaries will move out of tribal areas and become peaceniks?
So Imran Kahn, you say "Drone attacks (on terrorists/good bad Taliban/TTP) will not be tolerated at any cost"!!! And yet YOU have "tolerated" terrorist attacks on Pakistanis (claiming some 30,000 plus lives) by the TTP over the years with hardly a whimper! How many times (if ever!) have you used the words "Terrorist" and TTP in the same sentence???
Sri Lanka, a small country with population of 2 crore fought and won its war against terrorism without US or support of any other country.
If this is Pakistan's war, we have to conduct it at our own. No one fights war for others. Why USA is allowed to interfere, because its US war not ours.
If its Pakistan's war and we cannot fight it then we should disband our defence forces. Any war ends with negotiations and peace. US killed Qari Naik Muhammad once a peace deal was signed. Now again drones killed another Taliban leader.
We have no sympathy with Taliban but when to kill, whom to kill, it is to be decided by Pakistani civil and military leadership. US should stay out of it. WAKE UP! ITS TIME TO SAY GOODBYE TO USA and HANDLE OUR PROBLEMS OURSELVES .. BREAK SHACKLES OF SLAVERY ... NOW OR NEVER ...
Just one simple question to our beloved kaptan: and then what happens next.... If he cant comprehend this, then perhaps he should ask someone in PTI who might enlighten him of the consequences.
Maybe IK has forgotten that this "victim" is responsible for tens of thousands of Pakistani deaths - kills women and children without remorse, blows up Mosques and Schools, beheads your soldiers, and wants to eliminate your right to vote. Promoting a shooting war with America is absurd - especially over protecting this killer - classic anti American chest thumping which has never served Pakistan well.
So far IK has fufiled his promise of making the CM house in to a library, stop the VIP culture, and Urged to shoot down drones. On the other hand, Nawaz Sharif has gone back on his word about solving the country's energy crisis and is still too busy gaining more power in the NA.
This Taliban apologist never gave any strong statement against the atrocities committed by TTP and Co. I dont condone drone strikes ever. I just wonder why only the drone strikes bring out your strongest responses? I never saw you with your sleeves rolled up and shputing when it comes to the victims of the TTP and LeJ and like. Why this double standard?
now that is a brave leader
This will be the golden step by Nawaz Sharif if he does so,he will earn himself the next five years too.
Mr. IK is it the drone, or the killing of a mass murderer that irks you so much?
well the drone killed the no 2 taliban. aint tht a big thing for people of pakistan?? oh noo, i forgot taliban are our own protected people. if you know wat i mean. ;)
Yes Nawaz Shareif Saab shoot it Down so wt if u bring one down they'll send 2 more u bring em Down too then they'll send even more listen what Einstein khan saying
The Government of Pakistan have requested time and again to US Government to stop drone attacks but US did not.
I welcome the statement of the Chief of PTI that Miam Muhammad Nawaz Sharif should shoot down the drone, not only once, but it shoot out all the drowns of US, who do not respect our soverigerinity.
you lost, give it a rest and go run kpk.
Mr Imran khan stop escalating the problem .u know ur not elected so its very easy to say stuff like that ..stop doing these cheap stunts. Uve created lot of young Fascist anyway by ridiculing the the whole political system not only Nawaz and that's sad.and for all who support u in this theory .Little comparison example "reality is Pakistan armed forces don't even have 1000 fully operational planes yet USA got 18,000 of them "for get rest of the bombs and missiles.so I beg u on my knees stop doin this 70s poorly written b-grade drama
'Shoot down drones' !! pakistan do not have any guts to do it.Pakistan is not Iran to do so. Reality is that pakistan is afraid of US.
Great Khan is in the making.
Khan Sahib they did not listen to the rigging protests and for sure they wont to your pleadings things cant change here in the land of the pure, How can Mian sahib say no to the masters who gave him 3rd term in Power!! its sad but Moulana Tahir ul Qadri was right;this cant change under current system.
Government should not sheeply say "drones are against our sovereignty ", if it is really against then govrnment should seriously persue USA to stop drones or otherwise confess before people we are now too weak to stop USA.
What a shame...IK, at least TTP is more loyal to their comrades...we have lost more than 50,000 to these barbarians and they are still threatening revenge and you still want negotiations...Would have been more sensible, if your demand for end to Drones was linked with a support for comprehensive operation by Army against TTP.
Pmln should join with pti and present a united front to the americans on this issue. Did we do nuclear explosions so that other countries can drop drones on us? I'm sure mian sahib will address this issue with the americans as soon as he becomes PM.
Is Imran naïve that he doesn't know that Drone attacks are carried out with the consent of Pakistan Army because its easier to let others take care of our garbage?
I doubt that NS would take such an action but will definitely get hard time from IK on this.
He wont, he is set to continue Zardaris policy of worshipping foreign powers. PAKISTAN ka Allah hi hafiz hai.
That will be the day. Won't the US freeze their looted money invested in their country??? The establishment and politicians are "men of straw", that Churchill called them.
On 7th march mian sahib also said in a press conference that if elected he will not tolerate drones. Hope he sticks to that statement. Good that pti is supporting pmln on issues of national interest.
We should all get ready for another 5 years of death and destruction in Pakistan. Neither Pakistan or the Taliban benefit from America's so-called "War on Pakistan".
While Pakistan bleeds and burns, America sings and drinks. Sad how many Pakistanis sing America's songs and fail to see that we are destroying our country with this disastrous and pointless war.