Pakistan on Saturday summoned US Charge d’ Affaires, Ambassador Richard Hoagland, to the Foreign Office and protested against Friday’s US drone strike in North Waziristan.
“On the prime minister’s instructions, the US Charge d’ Affaires, Ambassador Richard Hoagland, was summoned this afternoon to the Foreign Office by special assistant to the prime minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi to lodge a strong protest on the US drone strike carried out in North Waziristan on 07 June 2013,” said FO spokesman Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.
He said, “The US official was handed a demarche in this regard.” “It was conveyed to the US CdA that the Government of Pakistan strongly condemns the drone strikes which are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The importance of bringing an immediate end to drone strikes was emphasised.”
US drone strike in North Waziristan on Friday killed seven people and left three others wounded. It was the first drone attack after the prime minister assumed his office.
After his election, in his address to parliament, Nawaz Sharif asked for an immediate end to the US drone strikes in Pakistani tribal areas, saying the US should respect Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Nonetheless, the diplomatic sources see no end to the US drone strikes in coming days and they warned that continuation of these attacks could cause strain in ties between Washington and Pakistan’s new government.
A Pakistani diplomat said that Pakistan was all set to raise the drone strikes’ issue with US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was expected to visit Islamabad soon to hold talks with the PML-N-led government on bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues.
“Pakistani authorities would urge US Secretary of State to halt the drone strikes as these attacks are counterproductive and violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty,” the diplomat said while seeking anonymity.
Giving further details of summoning of Hoagland, Aizaz said, “It was also pointed out that the Government of Pakistan has consistently maintained that drone strikes are counter-productive, entail loss of innocent civilian lives and have human rights and humanitarian implications.”
He said, “It was also stressed that these drone strikes have a negative impact on the mutual desire of both countries to forge a cordial and cooperative relationship and to ensure peace and stability in the region.”
A key Pakistani Taliban commander, Mutaqi alias Bahadar Khan, was killed along with six suspected militants in the drone, intelligence officials told a newspaper.
According to intelligence intercepts, the militants led by Mutaqi alias Bahadar Khan were planning to cross over into Afghanistan via Pash Ziarat valley, a strategic corridor linking the South and North Waziristan Agency and considered a gateway to Afghanistan.
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