Pakistan condemns US drone strike in Hangu

“Such strikes set dangerous precedents in inter-state relations,” asserts Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

After a US drone strike in the Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) killed five people early on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) issued a statement on Thursday condemning the attack.

“The government strongly condemns the US drone strike...these strikes are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the release stated.

There is across the board consensus that the strikes need to end, the release added and went on to mention that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has raised the issue with President Obama during his recent visit to America.

“Such strikes also set dangerous precedents in the inter-state relations,” the government asserted in the press release, adding that drone strikes are counter-productive as “they entail loss of innocent civilian lives and have human rights and humanitarian implications.”

'Dual Policy'

Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan had placed responsibility for the drone strike on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during a press conference in Islamabad, Express News reported.

Imran questioned why Nawaz has not made a statement on the recent drone strike yet, saying that as the leader of the country he should have been the first to speak up.

He also told Nawaz not to “play on both sides of the wicket,” adding that he should give up his “dual policy” of telling the US one thing and Pakistan another.

Haqqani Network

A drone fired four missiles at a madrassa in Hangu, killing five people and injuring three others on Thursday morning.

Express News reported that the missiles were fired at Islami Madrassa Muktaba Darul Uloom in Tal area of Hangu.

Local security officials identified two of the dead as Mufti Ahmad Jan, the Haqqani network’s spiritual leader and Mufti Hameedullah, also a member of the network.

Several senior Haqqani sources confirmed Jan's death.