The prestigious “Science” journal of 18th May 2012 has deliberated about how drone wars using remotely piloted aircraft are changing the nature of war. It has been reported that given that now there is the ability and potential to track down bad guys and kill them without risking American lives, it is no wonder the US Department of Defense plans to spend $ 30.8 billion on developing and acquiring RPP’s between 2011 and 2015. As the technology zooms forward, experts are scrambling to catch up with the psychological, ethical, legal and policy implications for 21st century conflict. The New America Foundation estimates that 296 drone attacks have killed between 1785 and 2771 people in Pakistan since 2004, the vast majority of them militants (according to US estimates). Little is known about how the CIA determines who is a legitimate target. “The question raised is, is killing always justified? There is no public accountability for that. In a January article in the New York Times, it was revealed that the Congress has never debated the drone campaign in Pakistan. All war is inhumane but this war conducted by unmanned aircrafts is a particularly cold-blooded version of war!
DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
