Media watch: Drone strikes in Quetta?

Media analyses America's wish to expand drone strikes to Quetta and the govt's response to it.

Media watch is a daily round-up of key articles featured on news websites, hand-picked by The Express Tribune web staff.

Say firm NO to drones

But it is for us at the receiving end to put our foot down and not let the trigger happy US violate our sovereignty; since at the end of the day we would have to carry the burden of an ugly backlash. The drones have already wrought havoc in the country, killing nearly 2000 innocent men, women and children, and spreading insecurity nationwide, while managing to take out only 30-odd suspected Al-Qaeda operatives.  (nation.com.pk)

Between a rock and a hard place

The reasons for Pakistan’s refusal are aplenty. Since Quetta is a built-up city, there are chances that the collateral damage will be high. In an already turbulent province where there is a nationalist insurgency, drone attacks would add to the Pakistani state’s woes. But this line of reasoning can be countered with the fact that our own security agencies pose a graver threat to the people of Balochistan than any drone strikes could. Maybe our refusal has more to do with our nuclear installations in the province. (dailytimes.com.pk)

Setting limits

The WP report says that instead of agreeing to more strikes we will allow instead an expanded CIA presence in Quetta; which answers the question – ‘Is there a CIA outstation in Quetta?” The answer being yes there is, and it is about to get bigger. Just how many Americans there are in Pakistan who are engaged in some form of intelligence gathering, covert operations, ‘security’ work or any other non-aid or diplomatic task – is a wide open question. We must assume that there are Americans legitimately here – they cooperate with our forces on intelligence gathering and target selection, we are not purely passive partners in the relationship. (thenews.com.pk)

And now, Quetta

The drone attacks have no diplomatic or moral basis. They are a form of unaccountable power and all examples of the latter should be opposed tooth and nail, wherever they are, however they are. Nut the effective crackdown against militants is our declared policy as well. It would do us well to realize that the drone attacks will stop if we were to unequivocally try to eliminate militancy, something which our political government has shown a resolve for. (pakistantoday.com.pk)