Nawaz said the drone attack was not only a violation of the country’s sovereignty but also a violation of international law and the UN Charte. PHOTO: AFP/ FILE
ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE:
Incoming Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif voiced dismay and disappointment on Friday over this week’s US drone attack – the first one since the May 11 election and days after US President Barack Obama revised his government’s policy on the use of unmanned aircraft.
Nawaz said the drone attack – which incidentally killed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s deputy chief - was not only a violation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also an action that has been declared a violation of international law and the UN Charter.
The premier-in-waiting’s sentiments were conveyed to US Ambassador Richard Olson by a close aide, who stressed in his conversation with the US diplomat that the drone attack, coming within days of President Obama’s ‘crossroads’ speech was highly regrettable, particularly as Obama had spoken of initiating a new policy that would ensure greater exercise of care and caution in the use of drones.
The aide also pointed out that meaningful consultations and close cooperation between Pakistan and US should be the desired course of action, rather than unilateral measures.
PML-N will evolve joint national policy
The drone attack has reignited discourse on the future policy direction of the new government with PML-N’s senior leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, saying his party will evolve a joint national policy on drone attacks, while taking all stakeholders on board.
“The policy related to the drone attacks will be formulated after taking all the political parties and concerned stakeholders on board,” Chaudhry Nisar told reporters outside the Parliament House. He said the PML-N will draw up a national policy on the drones issue in light of these consultations.
Maintaining that drone attacks were against the country’s sovereignty, Chaudhry Nisar said that they are also a key hurdle in the way of maintaining regional peace.
The PML-N now faces a daunting challenge in convincing the US to halt its drone campaign in the tribal areas.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2013.
COMMENTS (8)
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In a speech to the National Defense University on May 23, 2013, Obama admitted that he ordered the murder of 6 Americans.
This is a crime that any other mobster from Chicago, or you, or I, would have been in jail immediately for if we went on national TV and admitted we ordered the murder of Americans.
Obama admitted he gave the orders. Obama said, “And as president, I would have been derelict in my duty had I not authorized the strike that took him out.”.
Obama authorized the strikes that “took out:”. 26 year old Marine Staff Sergeant Jeremy Smith;. 23 year old Navy Hospitalman Benjamin D. Rast; 16 year old Abdulrahman Anwar al-Awlaki from Denver, Colorado;. 20 year old Jude Kenan Mohammad from Florida and North Carolina;. 25 year old Samir Khan from North Carolina and New York City;. 40 year old Anwar Al-Awlaki from New Mexico and Colorado;.
Sergeant Smith’s father viewed the video of his son’s murder and was stunned. he said, “You couldn't even tell they were human beings, just blobs.”.
It's time to impeach Obama.
@syed.
Rubbish. I suggest you go back and read the many drone attack articles published in the Pakistani newspapers (start with ET they have a nice search feature) - there is almost never a mention of civilian casualties. The study you tout is amateurish and like the other drone study people like to tout the authors never took one step in either Waziristan. In this case a group of anti drone activist were recruited to find people who were willing to testify against drones - so it's not surprising that this "objective/scientific" study came up with the results that anti drone activist would tout. Garbage In/ Garbage Out
@gp65: And it is disgusting that no one cares about the collateral damage caused by the drones. If one of them was a Taliban no 2 then other five were innocent civilians.
And legally can you think about any law which permits a state or an individual to kill 'SUSPECTS' NOT MILITANTS. No trial, no jury, only prosecution. http://www.policymic.com/articles/15340/drone-strikes-in-pakistan-have-killed-thousands-of-civilians
My brother is in the army and told me that special svices group formation 5 is supplying all coordinated to US for high value targets for drone strikes. So again all this double game must end. NS shuld take control of the overall strategy to control terrorism in the country.
We are in a state of perpetual"disappointment", ever since the US started Drone attacks.Mr.PM we want some tangible solution to this nonsense.They are protecting themselves at our cost which is more painful & annoying for us.What is your contingency program?The nation wants their PM to take them into confidence after he takes oath of the office.The US want us to be engaged in a prolonged war with our own people to bleed further.We are already at the precipice of complete disaster & the US is watching us sitting thousands of miles away.Mr.PM we want an answer? We will not abandon our Nuclear & Missile program even if we have to abandon our worst than enemy friends, as we have paid a heavy price & given our blood to achieve what we own.Will ET post these comments or ignore them as usual?
No condemnation of any inhumane Taliban attacks that kill innocent Pakistani civilians, but when a militant that's responsible for such mass murders around the country is killed by a drone attack, there's suddenly an uproar?
It is sad that no one dares to openly celebrate the killing of a man - who was no. 2 in an organization that has killed thousands of Pakistani civilians in markets, playgrounds, mosques; - whose organization killed polio workers, blew up schools, beheaded soldiers and so on. - on whom the Pakistani government itself had put a 2 milion rupees reward.
The death of an educationist in Karachi has not caused even a fraction of heartburn among political leadership as death if a TTP leader.
If Pakistan had a coherent policy on TTP and other terrorist I doubt drones would be an issue.