Pakistan establishment approved drone strikes: UN report

[Bhai Zakir]

Pakistan establishment approved drone strikes: UN report


In anticipation of a vigorous debate on targeted assassinations, at the United Nations General Assembly next week, two UN Special Rapporteurs issued scathing reports on drone strikes on Thursday and warned that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s involvement might structurally damage international security over longer term.

One report, by the UN's Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, Ben Emmerson, urged Washington to “declassify information about operations co-ordinated by the CIA and clarify its position on the legality of unmanned aerial attacks.”

Underscoring the extent of civilian casualty wreaked by drone attacks carried out on Pakistani soil Mr. Emmerson said that statistics collected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad recorded at least 330 remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) strikes in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) since 2004, and that there have been at least 2,200 deaths and 600 serious injuries caused by these attacks.

Mr. Emmerson’s report also noted that there was “strong evidence” to suggest that between June 2004 and June 2008 RPA attacks in FATA were conducted with the “active consent and approval of senior members of the Pakistani military and intelligence service, and with at least the acquiescence and, in some instances, the active approval of senior government figures.”

The Special Rapporteur’s report in this context referenced the 2012 guidelines adopted in Pakistan’s parliament regarding revised terms of engagement with the U.S., which called in particular for an “immediate cessation of drone attacks inside the territorial borders of Pakistan” and forbade any government authority into entering agreements with foreign governments to provide authorisation for future attacks.

The second UN report, authored by Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, summary or arbitrary executions Christof Heyns did not allude directly to the U.S. but cautioned that targeted killings via drones constituted a “global policing function” that however endangered lives without supplying other tools of domestic policing, such as capture or legal remedy.

With a third report, this one by Amnesty International, due to be released early next week outlining the impact of drone attacks on civilian lives and its human rights implications, the heat from this debate is likely to be felt when Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif meets U.S. President Barack Obama in New York on October 23.

Pakistan has already raised the drone strikes issue at the UN and it is reported to be on the discussion agenda when the two leaders meet.

Pakistan establishment approved drone strikes: UN report - The Hindu

US drone strikes killed 400 in Pakistan, says UN - Independent.ie

 

[karan.1970]

?Strong evidence? Pakistan military approved US drone strikes: UN report - DAWN.COM

A recently released UN report suggests there is “strong evidence” that top Pakistani military and intelligence officials approved US drone strikes on Pakistani soil during 2004 and 2008.

The study says in some cases, even “senior government figures” gave their approval to the strikes in the country’s militancy-hit tribal areas.

“There is strong evidence to suggest that between June 2004 and June 2008 remotely piloted aircraft strikes in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas were conducted with the active consent and approval of senior members of the Pakistani military and intelligence service, and with at least the acquiescence and, in some instances, the active approval of senior government figures,” says the report by Ben Emmerson, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism.

The report, however, does not elaborate on the details of the evidence collected.

Islamabad officially condemns US drone attacks as a violation of its sovereignty and counter-productive in the fight against terrorism and militancy.

In April this year, former military dictator Gen (Retd) Pervez Musharraf admitted in an interview to CNN that his government had given approval “only on very few occasions”.

Musharraf, who ruled over Pakistan until 2008 after coming to power in a bloodless coup as army chief of staff in 1999, said drone strikes were discussed and approved “at the military and intelligence levels” but only “two or three times”.

Together with a study by the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Christof Heyns, Emmerson’s interim report will be debated at the UN General Assembly on October 25, 2013.

"In an apparent reference to Pakistan, Heyns’ report suggests consent from military or intelligence officials may not be enough to satisfy legal requirements for the US to conduct drone strikes on foreign territory, according to international, humanitarian and human rights law."

“Only the State’s highest government authorities have the power to give consent to use force. It is not sufficient to obtain consent from regional authorities or from particular agencies or departments of the Government,” says the report, which lays down the legal conditions for the use of drones in armed conflicts around the world.

The report adds that though consent may not necessarily be made public, it must be “clear between the States concerned that consent is being given to a use of force, and the parameters of that consent should also be made clear.”

“Once consent to the use of force is withdrawn, the State conducting the targeting operations is bound by international law to refrain from conducting any further operations from that moment,” it says, adding that states “cannot consent to violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law on their territory.”

Emerson, during his international investigation into drone strikes and targeted killings, visited Pakistan in March this year and was provided with statistics by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recording at least 330 drone strikes in Fata since 2004.

According to the numbers provided by the Pakistani government, US drone strikes have resulted in at least 2,200 deaths in Pakistan, out of which the government confirms at least 400 were civilians, with an additional 200 individuals regarded as “probable non-combatants.”

“Officials indicated that, owing to underreporting and obstacles to effective investigation, those figures [of civilian casualties] were likely to be an underestimate,” says the report.

Emmerson urged the United States to “release its own data on the level of civilian casualties” caused by drone strikes to increase the level of transparency on the controversial campaign.

The release of both reports coincides with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Washington to meet US President Barack Obama.

A spokesman for the Sharif government says the Pakistani premier will raise the prickly issue of the Obama administration’s drone campaign in Pakistan's tribal areas.

 

[tarrar]

All the AID packages like US Aid, Kerry lugar Bill & other Dark packages which Zardari agreed on in his corrupt era are the reasons for Drone strikes & now patwari is on his way to get his own package which will continue US to allow their Drone Strikes.

 

[BATMAN]

US always pay, when you speak against PAK army.

Architect of kerrylugar bill is now transferred to PTI.

 

[Cyberian]

Pakistan Military = Traitors

 

[A1Kaid]

Gen. Kayani as I have said before shouldn't face retirement he should be trialed and executed along with other members of the top brass. Pres. Musharraf as much as I appreciate his economic record he too should face serious trial.

 

[forcetrip]

Gen. Kayani as I have said before shouldn't face retirement he should be trialed and executed along with other members of the top brass. Pres. Musharraf as much as I appreciate his economic record he too should face serious trial.

Thats like having the cake and eating it too. How many reasons do we have for Musharafs economic uplift programs? They all happen cause you give some and you get some. Not that I am disagreeing. They can take all the terrorists aafias and hakimullahs from us, EXACTLY how SAUDI ARABIA has done. They have destroyed the extremists they did not like and most of gitmo is full of SAUDI prisoners taken from SAUDI ARABIA. Only thing that we will have is this country. Religions come and go as they have 5000 years since we knew our forefathers could write on walls. Land is one thing all tribes have protected as far as we go.

 

[BATMAN]

Gen. Kayani as I have said before shouldn't face retirement he should be trialed and executed along with other members of the top brass. Pres. Musharraf as much as I appreciate his economic record he too should face serious trial.

Why not Asif Ali Zardari, Yousaf Reza Gilani & Hussain Haqqani etc.? and now Imran Khan?

 

[Night_Raven]

Pak Army is approving killing of its own people , keeping tensions high @ LOC and slowly but surely economically bankrupting the country as well .... and no civilian control on it as well ...

 

[pkuser2k12]

Why not Asif Ali Zardari, Yousaf Reza Gilani & Hussain Haqqani etc.? and now Imran Khan?

dont burn mian g take it easy

the parties who are "roshan kyal" "enlightened" "leftest" "secular" takeout there statements even Pakistan enemies dont use the language they use for army and specially isi . same goes for media who are secular boot lickers who do reporting from foreign countries point of view about Pakitsan and its army+agencies and not from Pakistans point of view like sellout ngos

extreme right parties and center right party pti don't even come close to the type of language that above parties and "free media made prisoner by foreigners" use.

that traitor musharaf gave permission to use drones in Pakistan it continued in zardaris era and kyani was mum on that issue unlike kerry luger or issue of sending isi chief to india after 26/11 synthetic terror (both i am against) but if kyani can blap on those issues why not drone who made more terrorists which in return martyr army personnel

kyani was more complacent than musharaf,zardari and up till now nawaz on hushing up indian,afghan and others involved in spreading terrorism in Pakistan and kyani always do lipservice on these issue like statements "hamaray humsaey terrorism barhanay mayn masroof hayn" thankyou very much gen .kyani your words are the absolute proof(stupid man)

how many press conferences ispr hold on foreign involvement in terrorism in Pakistan . were media persons and political parties were briefed so that they could spread this info .

how could musharaf place a general who was upright . he chose this kyani who was another musharaf , negotiated nro did not brought marshal law but supported civilian marshal law while clapping from behind when Pakistan was going down.