ISLAMABAD – Despite a strong protest and clear demands by Pakistan, the US seems to have refused to stop drone strikes in the Tribal Areas as was evident by Wednesday’s attack in South Waziristan thus increasing the tensions between Islamabad and Washington and endangering Pakistan-US cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
The CIA has agreed to share some information about its operatives in Pakistan as well as their activities with Pakistani authorities but according to diplomatic sources it has refused to oblige Pakistan as far as the demand for stopping the drone strikes is concerned.
“During the recent visit of ISI chief General Ahmed Shuja Pasha to Washington where he had gone to meet his counterpart, CIA chief Leon Panetta, the US authorities expressed their inability to bring complete halt to the drone strikes, saying they have proved to be highly successful in taking out Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants in the Tribal Areas,” a source said.
However, he said in response to Pakistan’s demand for calling back all CIA operatives from its soil, the US authorities had assured that they would share the information, as much as possible, about them as well as about their activities in future. Pakistani authorities are very displeased with the US response to their demands for stopping the drone attacks, reducing the number of CIA operatives and halt to their activities.
The Foreign Ministry also came up with a strong-worded statement against the fresh drone attack in South Waziristan on Wednesday, the first one in nearly a month as the drone strike were stopped when army chief General Ashfaq Kayani himself reprimanded the US authorities for the then drone strike in North Waziristan in which around 40 tribesmen were killed.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the drone attack in Angoor Adda today. We have repeatedly said that such attacks are counterproductive and only contribute to strengthening terrorists,” Foreign Office spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua said in a statement.
“Drone attacks have become a core irritant in the counter-terror campaign. Pakistan has taken up the matter with the US at all levels. The foreign secretary has lodged a strong protest with the US ambassador today,” she said. Another diplomatic source said the refusal on the part of the US authorities to accept Pakistan’s demands put forth by General Pasha could endanger the two countries’ cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
“Before the drone strike on Angoor Adda on Wednesday, the drone campaign seemed to have been frozen and both the sides were trying to set new rules for the future strikes with Pakistan informally proposing that only a strike extremely necessary in case it is confirmed that the target are terrorists and that too with Pakistani intelligence sharing shall be carried out and an all out campaign shall be stopped immediately,” he said.
However, he said things seemed to have not gone well in Washington as far as any agreement for the settlement of the conflicting issues between the two sides and Pakistan and the US would now have to put lot of effort to reach some reconciliation on the points of divergence.
