PTI spokeswoman Dr Shireen Mazari. PHOTO: SANA/FILE
Even though the prime minister termed his visit a success, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf insisted it was a failure vis-a-vis Pakistan’s stance on drone strikes.
In a statement, PTI’s Central Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari said, “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif failed to categorically tell President Obama that drone strikes must stop.”
Instead, all the prime minister could muster before US President was to “urge” him to halt these illegal strikes.
She pointed out that the recent Amnesty International Report has pointed to the illegal nature of these strikes. Pakistan’s political parties had given a mandate to the federal government to stop drone strikes, she maintained.
However, neither the previous government nor the incumbent one have acted resolutely to stop these unlawful drone attacks despite their acknowledged illegality and their brazen violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, the PTI leader lamented.
Mazari added, “Within the country, anti-drone voices have grown and now there is a political consensus against these attacks.”
Yet Nawaz buckled under pressure, she said. “Since Obama has refused to stop drone strikes in Fata, and since the Nawaz government has an APC mandate to stop drone strikes, what is the next step of the federal government?”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2013.
COMMENTS (21)
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PTI wants to make peace with bombers, murderers, kidnappers and the like, because they have a "cause". Why does the PTI not contact those who have suffered, those who have lost their near and dear ones??. If Pakistan cannot fight these people, it would be better to ask for help from outside, than to submit for talks. If Pakistan cannot fight these people, why did Pakistan create them in the first place. What good is the army??? what good is the Airforce??? what good is the Navy??? what good is the Police??? what good is Pakistan for ???. After 66years of existence we are dicussing "Taliban", "drones", terrorism, Sectarianism, what kind of a nation is this???, will we ever progress???.
PTI is busy destroying the province they were supposed to govern, and here its spoksperson is busy berating the Prime Minister. Disgusting. At least Nawaz Sharif is not busy destroying the country like Imran Khan is. PTI supporters need to realize that their country comes before personalities and must BEG their so-called leaders like Imran Khan and Shireen Mazari to stop pandering to Islamists and stop confusing the masses with stupid statements like this.
While Ms Mazari and the party she represents is well within their rights in a free speech democracy in criticizing any deals the current administration makes it behooves any good politician to show restraint when criticizing; criticize the administration and not the personalities. Frankly on the drone strikes one of the reasons no one in the past, current or conceivable future administrations is willing to take a hard line is that entities from Pakistan were not only aware but also complicit in at least some of the strikes. Doors of this sort once opened are difficult to completely close although in this case the US administration is moving towards winding down the more egregious aspects of this program. Two more points: 1. USA has its own interests to bear in mind as should the Pakistani government: US wants a less expensive route to get $80 billion or so worth of their equipment out of Afghanistan and Pakistan needs the money the US is willing to pay for that (call it aid or what you will). It is not now or has ever been an open-ended relationship. The only true way forward is to have a nation that is economically strong and we can then pick our partners instead of selling ourselves to the highest bidder.
PTI reminds me of a backseat driver who never bothered to learn to operate a car. If IK asked the military to shoot down a drone they would simply say no and maybe add a snide comment like "you out of your mind?".
Ms Mazari needs to lay off the jalebis.
@Malik Liaquat Hussain: Why on earth would you say servant visiting his master?? From what one reads in the USA press and elsewhere, NS has been given an excellent welcome with all due respect. The Americans were surprised he did not once ask for aid - in other words he did not go with a begging bowl as in the past... Obama who had set aside an hour for their meeting prolonged it to 90 minutes. He was received at the White House with a full blown presence of marines on the driveway, something I have not seen in some time, certainly not in the case of Pakistan.. Please give NS his dues - the USA has appreciated his economic policy and has promised to help in the development of infrastructure, more important the energy sector. What more do you expect?? Anyway, it is the USA which has allowed aid to flow to our country through these difficult times, not even China our so called long term ally, has invested a small percentage of the same!
LOL. What a statement from the political wing of TTP.
The story of whole visit is that a servant went to see his master and nothing more.
How a Prime Minister would urge US to immediately quit drone strikes where last two Governments had an understanding and mutual concent on this operation.
This can be stopped by Pushing US time to time and highlighting reports by supporting organizations like Amnesty International/ Human Rights etc etc.
I believe time will tell whether this visit was a sucess or a failure but PM puts his honest efforts.
@Ahmer
Just in case you are not updated please note we have been fighting for 11 years and drones strikes going on for over 7 years now.... Do you have a decrease or increase in terrorism?
I dont know if talks going to work but lets try to do something different because carry on doing the same things with expectation of different result is shear stupidity.
@All: Most of my people are missing the point. If anyone should be punishing the Taliban for their crimes it should be us. Why are we letting another nation mutilate our sovereignty like this. Make no mistake USA will not stop at the Pak-Afghan border and NW. Sooner or later it can be your city being bombed over "hunches". Open the books of history USA has consistently betrayed its former allies in the most horrific of manners: Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan are shining examples. Yet again you, my people, choose to side with a barbaric ally. Radicalism is an ideology, not a group. Ideologies can only be uprooted by other ideologies. Bring happiness to those war-ridden areas, build infrastructure, hospitals, roads, job opportunities. No one wants to go out and become a unit of militia with a filled belly and safe family. War has given us nothing, do you want to continue war with the Taliban ideology which keeps on growing? I am not willing to see any more of Pakistani soldiers being martyred in the war, neither will I applaud the killing of innocents in the cross-fire. For 10 years this war has reaped no fruit, perhaps it is time that we understand that bombs were the wrong method of countering this menace. Dialogue, formally dividing them and conquering seems to be the ideal way of uprooting this menace altogether. The change doesn't lie in a part, my green and white comrades, it lies within us.
@Salman: If only one of the 50,000 plus were one of your that died in taliban attacks.
Ms Mazari, it is better to buckle under US pressure then to buckle under taliban pressure.
For your information. i would argue that more and more educated people and the relatives of the 50,000 plus civilian dead and their familes want drone strikes to continue and this feeling is growing. Not as you would have others believe. Stop fooling people and fight against the talibans rather then run with them.
@Junaid: If only one of your own died in those drone attacks.......
the biggest failures in the country are saying this to others.
In accordance with the PTI's own policies of allowing the TTP to roam free, Nawaz's meeting may come as a disappointment. Apologies Madam Mazari, the voices in Pakistan "against" the drone strikes have not "grown" - they might have shrunk if anything. Though if you feel otherwise, please publish some verifiable statistics. In any case, those who feel that it is the most effective method of counter-terrorism - as orders are passed from top command and avoid actors with questionable allegiances - this is a good thing.