Pakistan summons US diplomat over drone strike
Pakistan’s new government has lodged a protest with the Americans and summoned a top US diplomat to complain about a drone strike on Friday.
Seven suspected militants reportedly died when an unmanned aircraft attacked a compound in Mangrothi village in the Shawal area, along the border dividing the North and South Waziristan tribal regions.
The strike came just two days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government took office.
Tariq Fatemi, an aide to Mr Sharif, summoned US Embassy Charge D’Affaires Richard Hoagland to Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Saturday to complain about the attack, according to a Pakistani government statement.
US Ambassador Richard Olson was out of Pakistan at the time.
The statement said: “The importance of bringing an immediate end to drone strikes was emphasised. It was also stressed that these drone strikes have a negative impact on the mutual desire of both countries to forge a cordial and co-operative relationship and to ensure peace and stability in the region.”
The importance of bringing an immediate end to drone strikes was emphasised. Pakistani government
The move strengthened expectations that Pakistan will, at least publicly, take a much harder line against drone strikes than the previous regime.
Sharif, who wants to pursue peace talks with Islamist militants, has insisted the US stop the drone strikes, saying they violate Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Many Pakistanis believe the drone strikes kill large numbers of innocent civilians.
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The US insists the CIA-run strikes primarily kill al-Qaeda and other militants who threaten the West as well as efforts to stabilise Afghanistan.
Last month, President Barack Obama pledged more transparency and restrictions on the programme, but it appears that the US will continue to hit targets in Pakistan for the moment.
Sharif has been far more careful than his predecessors in his rhetoric about militancy in Pakistan, and has said he wants to enter a dialogue with the Pakistani Taliban, raising concerns by some in the West that he might be too sympathetic to the Islamist extremists.
In the first such strike following Pakistan’s recent election, a drone in late May took out Waliur Rehman, deputy leader of the Pakistani Taliban.
It remains unclear what Sharif can actually do to prevent the US from using the drones to launch missiles at militants Washington believes are a threat.