Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial on Thursday said the drone attacks were not only being conducted on “particular people” but the US is also attacking those who come to rescue the victims.
He said this during the hearing against drone attacks. The application was submitted by Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. The LHC CJ said that innocent children and women were being killed in these attacks, which was a sheer violation of human rights.
The court asked AK Dogar, the lawyer of the applicant, that it may be told to the court with reference to UN charter, international and the country’s law that the court could issue what kind of instructions to the government within the ambit of constitution and law.
To which, Dogar said that when human rights were violated on a large scale then the court could instruct the government to protect its citizens. He said the drone attacks were being conducted with the permission of the government. He said the US had started an undeclared war against Pakistan and around 3,000 people have been killed in drone attacks in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen.
The lawyer said that the drone attacks were spreading mayhem and chaos in Pakistan. FATA is the part and parcel of the country, he added.
The former officials of US State Department were saying that although drone attacks were illegal but the Pakistani government was not performing its duties in a befitting manner in this regard, he said. On which, the CJ asked Dogar that the federal government had raised objection that the drone attacks were related to the defence and security of the country, which did not fall under the court’s jurisdiction.
On which the lawyer said that the government could not get rid of its responsibilities about killing of innocent people in drone attacks by terming it a security matter. He said that a report revealed that approximately 500 companies in the US were making drone crafts and shells, adding that it had become one of the largest industries in the US.