Pakistan on Saturday said US drone attacks inside its territory were unjustified and counterproductive and decreased the space to create support against extremists.
Addressing a lecture at the University of Western Australia, organized by the Australian Institute of International Affairs, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told students, “Pakistan’s leadership has always condemned drone attacks in the strongest terms and called them ‘unjustified’.” Khar, who is attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) spoke on the challenges Pakistan was facing after 9/11 and how to deal with them.
She rejected BBC-leveled allegations that Pakistan was playing a “double game” in the war against terror. She said, “Were we not sincere, why would terrorists and extremists target our people and security forces.” She told the students, “We have lost 30,000 people and 6,500 security officials and accrued financial losses in the billions. But we are still being blamed for terrorism.”
She termed the fight against the terrorists as taking place in the backdrop of a complex and uncertain regional situation. During her lecture at the Centre for Muslim States and Societies, Khar said Pakistan’s biggest foreign policy objective was peace in its neighbourhood. On Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, she said Islamabad wants to ensure Kabul stays secure and stable.
She said it is clear Pakistan does not want to see chaos in Afghanistan after 2014. She said, “Such a scenario would have grave implications not only for Afghanistan, but also for Pakistan.” Referring to the recent visit of Secretary Clinton to Pakistan, she said it had helped move matters forward.
Drone strikes are ‘unjustified’: Khar
