ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Thursday said that the US drone attacks in its Tribal Areas had become a core irritant in its relations with the US and top leaders from Pakistan had clearly conveyed this stance to the American authorities.
“Drone attacks have become a core irritant in the counter-terrorism campaign,” said Foreign Office spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua while addressing her weekly press briefing. “Pakistan has repeatedly taken up the matter with the US at all levels. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday gave a comprehensive statement on the drone attacks and expressed Pakistan’s resentment on the issue. The foreign secretary has lodged a strong protest with the US ambassador on the latest drone attack on Wednesday,” she said.
She was responding to a host of queries on a drone strike carried out in South Waziristan on Wednesday. The attack took place only after two days of a key meeting between the chiefs of US spy agency CIA and the ISI during which Islamabad asked for a halt in CIA-operated drone attacks in the Tribal Areas. To a question, Tehmina said US Ambassador Cameron Munter was not summoned to the Foreign Office and the protest was conveyed to him during a meeting that was scheduled earlier.
“Pakistan attaches ‘immense importance’ to its relations with the US and discussions are being held on the US drone attacks as part of talks on counter-terrorism measures under a multi-track engagement between the two countries,” she said to another query. “Discussions go on between the two governments on counter-terrorism and we have made our position very clear on the issue of drones. Our position on the drone attacks has been repeatedly and clearly stated by the leadership, including the president and prime minister, to each and every US dignitary or US administration representative who has visited Pakistan.”
She said, “Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir will visit Washington on April 21 and 22 on the invitation of the United States to hold consultations on a broad range of issues including bilateral relations, matters pertaining to countering terrorism and Afghanistan as well as ongoing developments in the Middle East and North Africa.”
She refused to comment on media reports that Chilean police had arrested the brother of Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar who was accused of coordinating the 1999 hijacking of an Indian airlines plane until details of the detained individual had been ascertained. She said that a few Pakistanis had been arrested in Chile due to visa issues. “If there is an individual amongst them, of whatever name, I don’t think we need to comment on it till we know the details of the individual.”
To a question on Pak-India relations, Tehmina said the commerce secretaries of the two countries would meet in Islamabad on April 27 and 28 under the resumed dialogue process and discuss ways and means for promoting economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries.
She said as decided in the meeting of the interior ministers of Pakistan and India, the members of the Judicial Committee on Prisoners would visit Pakistan from April 19 to 23. “The Judicial Committee on Prisoners comprises of four eminent retired judges each from Pakistan and India,” she said.
