Pakistan Tells U.S. To Leave 'Drone' Attack Base

[JanjaWeed]

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan told the U.S. to leave a remote desert air base reportedly used as a hub for covert CIA drone attacks, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar was quoted by state media as saying June 29.

His remarks are the latest indication of Pakistan attempting to limit U.S. activities since a clandestine American military raid killed Osama bin Laden on May 2 and plunged ties between the anti-terror allies into chaos.

''We have told (U.S. officials) to leave the air base," national news agency APP quoted Mukhtar as telling a group of journalists in his office.

Images said to be of U.S. Predator drones at Shamsi have been published by Google Earth in the past. The air strip is 560 miles southwest of Islamabad in Baluchistan province.

A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman told AFP there were no U.S. military personnel at the Shamsi base.

American drone attacks on Taliban and al-Qaida operatives in Pakistan's northwestern semiautonomous tribal belt are hugely unpopular among a general public opposed to the government's alliance with Washington.

CNN reported in April that U.S. military personnel had left the base, said to be a key hub for American drone operations, in the fallout over public killings by a CIA contractor in Lahore and his subsequent detention.

Reports said operations at the base, which Washington has not publicly acknowledged, were conducted with tacit Pakistani military consent.

The U.S. does not officially confirm Predator drone attacks, but its military and the CIA operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy the armed, unmanned aircraft in the region.

The bin Laden raid humiliated the Pakistani military and invited allegations of incompetence and complicity, as well as severely damaging trust between Islamabad and Washington.

"This trust deficit could be reduced by sitting together and taking joint actions," the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan quoted Mukhtar as saying.

According to U.S. Vice Adm. William McRaven, who oversaw the bin Laden raid, the U.S. military believes Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar is in Pakistan and had asked the Pakistani army to find him.

Asked about Omar, Mukhtar said: "If he was in Pakistan, even then, he would have left the country after the Abbottabad incident."

Mukhtar, who belongs to the ruling Pakistan People's Party, said he supported negotiations with the Taliban to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan

Pakistan Tells U.S. To Leave 'Drone' Attack Base - Defense News

 

[JanjaWeed]

didn't pakistan consistantly deny the existence of any drone base within pakistan? now.. if the above is true, it's only goes to show that all these attacks were carried out with Pakistan's consent & shows the duplicity in establishment's policy.

 

[Oldman1]

didn't pakistan consistantly deny the existence of any drone base within pakistan? now.. if the above is true, it's only goes to show that all these attacks were carried out with Pakistan's consent & shows the duplicity in establishment's policy.

This is pretty embarrassing. You think the Pakistanis would keep it quiet even if its well known because not everybody knows. The govt. criticize the attacks whenever it happens and then now tells everybody that the launching platforms are coming from one of their own bases on their own soil!

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

didn't pakistan consistantly deny the existence of any drone base within pakistan? now.. if the above is true, it's only goes to show that all these attacks were carried out with Pakistan's consent & shows the duplicity in establishment's policy.

Technically, the military/GoP denied the existence of any Pakistani base used to conduct 'drone strikes'.

The use of a Pakistani base for logistical/surveillance purposes was not denied, IIRC.

However, this goes to the heart of the matter, in terms of why Pakistanis distrust the government and are now starting to distrust the military leadership (though support for the military remains at the same high levels) - they have not been getting straight answers from their leadership, and their leadership has lied to them and ignored their concerns over foreign military operations on Pakistani soil, and ignored their demands to end those foreign military operations.

 

[U-571]

now this is one nice news clap clap

 

[Bhairava]

didn't pakistan consistantly deny the existence of any drone base within pakistan? now.. if the above is true, it's only goes to show that all these attacks were carried out with Pakistan's consent & shows the duplicity in establishment's policy.

The duplicity of the puppet Govt and that of the Establishment viz-a-viz the drones was probably the worst kept secret in the latter part of WOT.And various Wikileaks have amply proved this fact that the Establishment asked not for lesser but for more drones while publicly condemning them in turn causing a rise in anti-US sentiment among the common populace.

http://www.pkcolumns.com/2011/05/20/kayani-wanted-more-drone-attacks-in-pakistan-wikileaks/

WikiLeaks Cable: Pakistan Asked for More, Not Fewer Drones - ABC News

 

[JanjaWeed]

Technically, the military/GoP denied the existence of any Pakistani base used to conduct 'drone strikes'.

The use of a Pakistani base for logistical/surveillance purposes was not denied, IIRC.

However, this goes to the heart of the matter, in terms of why Pakistanis distrust the government and are now starting to distrust the military leadership (though support for the military remains at the same high levels) - they have not been getting straight answers from their leadership, and their leadership has lied to them and ignored their concerns over foreign military operations on Pakistani soil, and ignored their demands to end those foreign military operations.

So it's only fair to say that both civilian & military establishments of pakistan are not honest with their people.. right? By having two faced policy..one for public consumption & the other for US, they are equally responsible for spreading this anti-american sentiments within the general public! that's what it sounds like though.. looks like it's general pakistanis vs GOP+PA+USA.

 

[S.M.R]

didn't pakistan consistantly deny the existence of any drone base within pakistan? now.. if the above is true, it's only goes to show that all these attacks were carried out with Pakistan's consent & shows the duplicity in establishment's policy.

It is an open secret that consent of pak govt is there for drone attacks, even the wikileaks revealed the same. However PA consent doesn't seem to be, as it is on record that PAF asked for orders of govt. For shooting the drones down.

Further, not only pakistan even US never accepted the drone operation from inside Pakistan.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

So it's only fair to say that both civilian & military establishments of pakistan are not honest with their people.. right? By having two faced policy..one for public oonsumption & the other for US, they are equally responsible for spreading this anti-american sentiments within the general public! that's what it sounds like though.. looks like it's general pakistanis vs GOP+PA+USA.

Their double-faced policy is not responsible for anti-American sentiment, it is anti-American sentiment that is responsible for their double faced policy. Do keep in mind that Musharraf went to the extent of asking the US to merely 'fake' Pakistani control of the drone strikes, in order to limit the public fallout amongst Pakistanis.

The leadership wants US aid, and it wants public support - hence the lies. It would be very politically damaging for a party to announce an official agreement with the US on allowing US led military operations in Pakistan.

It is ironic, but for all its claims of 'democracy and freedom and voice of the people', the 'voice of the people', through strong democratic institutions in Pakistan, is the last thing the US would want, given its current tactics.

Weak institutions in Pakistan in fact suit the US currently, as does a weak Pakistan.

What the average Pakistani wants is precisely what the US does not want.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

the Establishment asked not for lesser but for more drones while publicly condemning them in turn causing a rise in anti-US sentiment among the common populace.

As I pointed out to Janjaweed, that is patently incorrect - the anti-American sentiment drives the duplictious policy with respect to the drone strikes, not the other way around.

How on earth would condemning drone strikes increase anti-Americanism, if the people themselves did not already find the strikes condemnable?

 

[Bhairava]

Their double-faced policy is not responsible for anti-American sentiment, it is anti-American sentiment that is responsible for their double faced policy. Do keep in mind that Musharraf went to the extent of asking the US to merely 'fake' Pakistani control of the drone strikes, in order to limit the public fallout amongst Pakistanis.

Classic case of Chicken came first or egg came first which can be argued to no end depending on one's flags. But nonetheless it would not be exxageration that the drones fuel a great deal of resentment among the common Pakistani.

The leadership wants US aid, and it wants public support - hence the lies. It would be very politically damaging for a party to announce an official agreement with the US on allowing US led military operations in Pakistan.

Why only the civvy govt ? Even the PA needs free flow of aid/equipments from US and so it too is as equally, if not more, culpable than the civilians govt in this drone fiasco.

It is ironic, but for all its claims of 'democracy and freedom and voice of the people', the 'voice of the people', through strong democratic institutions in Pakistan, is the last thing the US would want, given its current tactics.

Weak institutions in Pakistan in fact suit the US currently, as does a weak Pakistan.

What the average Pakistani wants is precisely what the US does not want.

Please stop making US the reason for the failures of Pak. It may be one of the reasons (and that too it moot). Much of the rot can be traced back to the various policies of the successive Govts and Generals.

As I pointed out to Janjaweed, that is patently incorrect - the anti-American sentiment drives the duplictious policy with respect to the drone strikes, not the other way around.

How on earth would condemning drone strikes increase anti-Americanism, if the people themselves did not already find the strikes condemnable?

You don't find it condemnable.Fine. But that doesn't mean other Pakistanis also welcome it. A significant portion of the Pakistanis (if not a majority) on the street condemn the drones as violation of the sovereignity of Pakistan.You just have to see the comments in various forums, news sites to get a general idea of what Pakistanis think about drones - which I have seen.

 

[JanjaWeed]

@Agno..
I agree that general public's sentiments has a great deal of effect on how a govt portrays itself in open. then again by having the kinda policy this GOP has, it's like treading on eggshells. By adopting this policy it's only going to portray the govt as a weak one & people will find it hard to tow govts line now or in future. Weak policy by a scarred govt is a recipe for disaster!!

 

[mirage 5000]

what BS is going on before 3 months thay say we get control before 2 months they say UAE control shamsi now they say USA should left shasi ?.what the hell who many times we will become a joke in international community ?

U.S. departs Pakistan base, source says
22 Apr 2011


America forced to leave Shamsi Air Base in Balochistan
Sunday, 24 April 2011 14:00


Shamsi Air Base under UAE control: Air Chief
May 13th, 2011


and today
Pakistan Tells U.S. To Leave 'Drone' Attack Base

how the hell we can believe them?our own security and civil admins are big lairs

 

[Omar1984]

The reason why Pakistan was made in the first place was so Muslims could feel safe in their homeland, and the kuffar wont be able to harm any innocent Muslim in their homeland. Its a shame some Pakistani "muslims" are helping the kuffar kill innocent Muslim men, women, and children in Pak Sarzameen.

Pakistan should've told the U.S. to leave drone attack base a long time ago.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Classic case of Chicken came first or egg came first which can be argued to no end depending on one's flags. But nonetheless it would not be exxageration that the drones fuel a great deal of resentment among the common Pakistani.

It isn't a good example of the 'chicken or the egg' question - the US was not very popular before the Afghan invasion, its popularity took a dive after the Afghan invasion, and fell even further with the invasion and occupation of Iraq on the basis of lies about WMD's. Only someone who has not followed Pakistan could argue that 'official condemnation of the drone strikes' is what causes anti-Americanism. The drone strikes fuel that resentment, official condemnations are not responsible for that resentment. If anything, the fact that the Pakistani leadership officially condemns the strikes, and covertly allows them, infuriates Pakistanis against the Pakistani leadership.

Why only the civvy govt ? Even the PA needs free flow of aid/equipments from US and so it too is as equally, if not more, culpable than the civilians govt in this drone fiasco.

Because the civillian government is in charge, and therefore they take responsibility. As long as Musharraf was in charge, the military could (and should) be blamed, and civvies exonerated - but now the elected leadership has to take responsibility. The military can be blamed if it refuses to implement the elected leaderships policies - and at the moment there is no indication that the elected leadership has any intention of ordering the military to use force to stop the drone strikes.

Please stop making US the reason for the failures of Pak. It may be one of the reasons (and that too it moot). Much of the rot can be traced back to the various policies of the successive Govts and Generals.

Nonsense - I accused the US of nothing. I merely made an observation that strong democratic institutions in Pakistan, that would act transparently and not resort to lies and deceit (as is the case with the current elected government) would have to submit to the demands of the electorate, and make clear to them what the relationship with the US entailed. Such a situation would result in the need for the US to arrive at an officially negotiated, or internationally sanctioned (through the UN) agreement with Pakistan over US military and intelligence operations in Pakistan. That is something the US continues to resist, and hence my argument that 'weak democratic institutions and a weak Pakistan' suit the US currently.

You can extrapolate whatever you want from that, but I made no claim about whether the US is/is not destablizing Pakistan.

You don't find it condemnable.Fine. But that doesn't mean other Pakistanis also welcome it. A significant portion of the Pakistanis (if not a majority) on the street condemn the drones as violation of the sovereignity of Pakistan.You just have to see the comments in various forums, news sites to get a general idea of what Pakistanis think about drones - which I have seen.

You misunderstood/misread my post - I did not say anywhere that I 'do not find drone strikes condemnable'. I stated that people would not find drone strikes condemnable merely because the military/government condemns them - people find the drone strikes condemnable without the military/government having to tell them that.