How best to tackle them
Drone strikes in Pakistan are a useful tactical tool or instrumental in spewing more terrorism, depending on the side you are on. The US claims them to be legal, moral and an effective means of fighting terrorism in unconventional battlefields. One thing is, however, sure: drone strikes have an unusually high collateral damage rate. In this backdrop, the US insistence on using drones in Pakistan’s tribal areas is aggravating the situation for both countries.
Almost 20 people have been killed in three drone strikes in the last four days in North and South Waziristan. While Islamabad may want to put an end to this programme, it is in no position to do so on its own, or so was told the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee by the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Jalil Abbas Jilani. However, with deaths ranging between 2,627-3,457, or 1,900-3,000 if official figures are to be believed, the drones cannot be allowed to operate any more. But given Pakistan’s weak position in the comity of nations, it cannot shoot down drones despite having capacity to do so, simply because the fallout may well be out its capacity to handle.
As the US forces’ withdrawal date of 2014 draws near and negotiations between Afghan Taliban and US-led ISAF forces has picked up pace, Pakistan cannot afford to alienate the entire region of FATA and its populace, which already consider the government betrayed them by not protecting them properly against the foreign militants hiding there and, of course, the drone attacks.
To ease the tension, Pakistan has formalised Afghan High Peace Council’s role in deciding which Taliban would be released from Pakistani jails. These Taliban commanders are expected to play an important role in the peace dialogue between the US, Afghan government and Taliban. Pakistan’s gesture of bringing peace to the region hasn’t been met with much enthusiasm though as Afghan authorities aren’t much eager in controlling the terrorists that launch cross-border attacks on Pakistan’s security forces from Afghanistan.
There is one thing that nobody is happy about with Pakistan: the presence of foreign militants in its tribal areas. The US, China, Iran and Afghanistan each has complained about the problem. They need to be expelled; Pakistan should not allow its territory to be used by terrorists for their activities inside Pakistan and outside. Once they leave the area, and the locals denounce the ways of violence, drone strikes would cease to have any reason to be continued there.
Till then, Pakistan is left with no option but to reiterate its policy stance that drone strikes are counter-productive and a violation of international laws, and hold talks with the US to stop them, as has been said by the foreign secretary.
