Kayani’s call

Speaking at the Tripartite Commission in Kabul Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has asked the US to stop drone attacks in the tribal areas. DGMOs from Pakistan and Afghanistan briefed the participants about the achievements so far made in the war against terrorism. Kayani told the participants of the meeting that the US drone attacks were counterproductive in fighting militancy. Demanding an immediate end to such attacks, the COAS said that Pakistani forces were fully capable of handling militancy in their territory. He said that Afghan and ISAF forces should look out for extremist elements on the Afghan side of border and emphasised the need for a broad-based intelligence sharing. The participants agreed to intelligence sharing among Pakistan, Afghanistan and ISAF to flush out terrorists and extremists. Lauding Pakistan’s frontline role in the war against terrorism, the commission also agreed to continue operation against extremists. The US strategy of hitting militants inside the Pakistan territory continues unabated despite the fact that such attacks, which are a sheer violation of the international law and Pakistan’s sovereignty, have drawn strong criticism from the government here. The incidents inevitably result in the loss of life of the innocent people. It was in this context that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani recently asked the Nato forces in Afghanistan to stop violating Pakistan’s airspace. The Prime Minister rightly pointed out that the raids were counter productive to Pakistan’s efforts in the war against terror. It cannot be gainsaid that the drone attacks notably add to the anger among the local people but also undermine efforts to seek broader support of the tribal people against terrorists. The drone attacks have in fact resulted in increasing suicide attacks against security personnel both in FATA and the settled areas. Pakistan has been under pressure from the US to do more to quell the insurgency on the Pak-Afghan border. The US should understand that Pakistan stands with the coalition forces in the fight against fight terrorism, but it will not allow a foreign force to conduct military operations or random attacks inside its territory. Such attacks have put the government in an awkward position, with some suspecting it of having compromised its sovereignty. There seems no change in the US policy of drone attacks inside Pakistan, with the result it has fanned anti-Americanism feelings in the region. It is time the government told the US in clear terms that since the continuing drone attacks are not helping but hindering the fight against terror. If the US does not immediately revise its policy of violating our sovereignty, success in the war against terrorism will remain an elusive dream. Rather it will further radicalise the local people and strengthen the forces of extremism.