Time is running short for "drone strikes" in Pakistan!

[SSGPA1]

Interesting posts but off the topic ... Truth is that everyone and their uncles demand democracy in Pakistan then everyone ignores what the people of Pakistan want.

Here is what people in Pakistan demand on foreign front:

1. Resolve Kashmir issue as it is the source of all troubles.
2. End drone strikes.

No govt. will able to stand the pressure of common public therefore, military or democratic set up would have to work hard and resolve these issues.

If Indians think that they rant their Akhand Bahrat mantra then they are wrong. There has to be a resolution to Kashmir which is acceptable to all parties so that there can be peace in this region.

 

[Zovc]

^ Public wants food and clothing, they want jobs and shelter.

These International games are the least of their worries. It's the top 5% of Pakistani population the worries about Politics.

 

[jeypore]

Interesting posts but off the topic ... Truth is that everyone and their uncles demand democracy in Pakistan then everyone ignores what the people of Pakistan want.

Here is what people in Pakistan demand on foreign front:

1. Resolve Kashmir issue as it is the source of all troubles.
2. End drone strikes.

No govt. will able to stand the pressure of common public therefore, military or democratic set up would have to work hard and resolve these issues.

If Indians think that they rant their Akhand Bahrat mantra then they are wrong. There has to be a resolution to Kashmir which is acceptable to all parties so that there can be peace in this region.

Very Interesting point. One question, Why is Kashmire issue for all the troubles in Pakistan?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

The military's voice with the government would change much of that, though.

No it won't.

If you think the military throwing its support behind the 'US WoT' is going to make it more acceptable in Pakistan then you haven't been paying any attention to the situation on the ground.

The military, Army specifically, is in a process of recovering an image that was battered and bruised under a 'dictator Musharraf doing the US's bidding'. Gen. Kiyani has taken great pains to distance the Army from governance, and limited its visible role as much as possible for good reason.

To suddenly step up in support of a war that the politicians themselves, other than Zardari and his close associates, are only half heartedly owning, would be to put themselves back in the line of fire and lose public support.

The fact of the matter is that the US is a poisonous chalice in Pakistan currently - the perceptions of the military wielding power behind the scenes will not be helped by it stepping up to voice its support for that 'chalice' - it has to continue to act and conduct itself as an institution subservient to the will of the civilian leadership elected by the electorate.

Restoring and maintaining public support is crucial for another reason - if the worst comes to pass, and the civilian government falls, the Army needs to have the confidence and support of a large majority of Pakistanis to step into the void and maintain control and stability. That will not be possible if it is seen as a policy formulating twin of the current GoP, or another institution subservient to the US, and therefore not capable of bringing about the change that the masses would want as a result of overthrowing the PPP led government.

 

[suresh_]

Very Interesting point. One question, Why is Kashmire issue for all the troubles in Pakistan?

it sounds more like a threat that if you wont give kashmir, we will create mess in afghanistan and wont let you fight taliban. is pakistan unaware that fighting taliban in more important rightnow then solving kashmir?

 

[batmannow]

GEO Pakistan
Drone attacks can put Zardari’s govt at risk: experts
Updated at: 1246 PST, Wednesday, January 28, 2009

LONDON: Elite Western defence experts believe that the US-led military intervention is faltering in Afghanistan and can collapse unless a robust diplomatic strategy, involving tribal outreach and a more coordinated international approach, is adopted, said International Institute for Strategic Studies survey.

The survey also warned that the continuing US strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas could undermine the position of President Asif Zardari.

“To effectively pursue the campaign on terror, he will need to balance growing US pressure for military strikes in the tribal areas with the Pakistani Army’s decreasing tolerance for such attacks,” the report said.

“He will have to ensure that the ensuing domestic political turbulence, heightened by the growing economic crisis, does not place his own government at risk from the Army.”
time is APPROCHING soon , when all this "US strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas" were had to be stopped, for sure!

 

[batmannow]

time is running short for "drone strikes" in pakistan!

I guss, the time is running out for the US"drone strikes" in pakistan, THE PAKISTANI militry establishment, seriously angry with the "US Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who served under Mr. Bush and is staying on under Mr. Obama & it is expected very much?
it was bieng observed, that the preasure is mounting on the politicians by the army in quiet, & after that president "Asif Ali Zardari" tryied to wrote & described in a US newspaper article !

GEO Pakistan
Pak needs no lectures on war against terror: Zardari
Updated at: 1420 PST, Wednesday, January 28, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Advocating the need for recasting Pakistan-U.S. relationship into a long-term partnership for peace, stability and development, President Asif Ali Zardari Wednesday asked President Barack Obama to help resolve the lingering Kashmir dispute that remains at the heart of South Asian unrest and challenges like extremism.

“President Obama understands that for Pakistan to defeat the extremists, it must be stable. For democracy to succeed, Pakistan must be economically viable,” Zardari wrote in a US newspaper article in which he congratulated the new U.S. leader on assumption of office and extended Pakistan’s “hand in friendship”.

As part of economic empowerment efforts, President Zardari called for swift progress towards realization of economic assistance expansion initiative (Biden-Lugar legislation) in Congress as well as the preferential trade program of reconstruction opportunity zones and said, “assistance to Pakistan is not charity.”
“The water crisis in Pakistan is directly linked to relations with India. Resolution could prevent an environmental catastrophe in South Asia, but failure to do so could fuel the fires of discontent that lead to extremism and terrorism. We applaud the president’s desire to engage our nation and India to defuse the tensions between us", he said.

“Unlike in the 1980s, we are surrogates for no one. With all due respect, we need no lectures on our commitment. This is our war. It is our children and wives who are dying”, the president added.

Zardari renewed Pakistan’s determination to curb the menace of terrorism in its own interest and called for equipping Pakistan with modern security tools and technology to proactively fight the terrorists “on our terms".


GEO Pakistan
Drone attacks can put Zardari’s govt at risk: experts
Updated at: 1246 PST, Wednesday, January 28, 2009

LONDON: Elite Western defence experts believe that the US-led military intervention is faltering in Afghanistan and can collapse unless a robust diplomatic strategy, involving tribal outreach and a more coordinated international approach, is adopted, said International Institute for Strategic Studies survey.
They also warned that the continuing US strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas could undermine the position of President Asif Zardari.

The survey also warned that continuing US strikes against alleged Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in the Pakistan’s tribal areas could undermine the position of President Asif Zardari.

“To effectively pursue the campaign on terror, he will need to balance growing US pressure for military strikes in the tribal areas with the Pakistani Army’s decreasing tolerance for such attacks,” the report said.

“He will have to ensure that the ensuing domestic political turbulence, heightened by the growing economic crisis, does not place his own government at risk from the Army.”

 

[Jihad]

Thanks for the headsup Sir batmannow!
Hopefully with pressure mounting up from the GoP, these drone attacks will have to stop sooner or later, because these attacks on our soil indicate that Pakistan is rather a victim then an ally of the U.S. and its war on terror.
We need sophisticated technology and equipment from the U.S. to tackle these insurgents, not drone strikes that only stir up alot of controversy and tends to increase the bad image alot of Pakistanis have about the U.S.
I wonder why the U.S. doesn't realize this, these attacks MUST be stopped and Pakistan must receive the right form of treatment in this so-called war on terror.

 

[JK!]

The attacks are killing the enemy what is the big problem with that?

Would you guys prefer to have the likes of Osama Al Kini still running around?

 

[waraich66]

General public dont have electricity ,gas ,free medical and education facilities and cheap and fare justice and now drone attacks started by US under agreement of Government of Pakistan ,no body is safe in this satuation in pakistan who ever start movemet either talaban or lums students general public will support them.

That is reason talaban are getting hold of settled areas of NWFP similar movement may start in balouchistan and interior sindh and upper punjab.

 

[Jihad]

The attacks are killing the enemy what is the big problem with that?

Would you guys prefer to have the likes of Osama Al Kini still running around?

Pakistan is very well able to take these terrorists out by herself.
It doesn't need any U.S. intervention on it's own soil without any PERMISSION.
Fact is, the U.S. is treating Pakistan as a slave instead of a true ally in their war on terror.
If the U.S. simply provides Pakistan with the necessary material, which they aren't doing, then I see no problems.
The U.S. often whines about Pakistan not doing enough while the U.S. isn't even co-operating in a respectful manner with the GoP.
The big problem is, the Pakistani people have never tolerated any attacks on their soil, and especially if innocent people die because of it, it makes them furious.
We haven't tolerated it from the Indians, so why should we tolerate it from the Americans?
Would the Americans do this on Indian soil? No, they know they'd get their *** handed to them if they would, so why Pakistan?
Are we really seen as weak and "unable" by the U.S.? What an ally they are right..?

We should punish any violation of our sovereignty by the Americans.
And to every American on this board who is smiling on my post and thinks that won't be possible because nothing or nobody can go against the will of their country, listen closely, Pakistan CAN stop the American strikes on its soil, it is possible but it's simply not being done because our politicans fear for their well filled pockets and their position.
It is not because Pakistan is unable, it is because of our weak and uncredible government.
If they had made their stance clear with the Americans and warned them that any attack would cost them dearly, i'm sure the U.S. would've thought a second time before initiating any such strike.
But hey, it's not up to me to decide what happens, i'm just waiting for new elections and hope that the Pakistani people will realize how stupid they were to pick Zardari as their man.

 

[batmannow]

The attacks are killing the enemy what is the big problem with that?

Would you guys prefer to have the likes of Osama Al Kini still running around?

JK!;sir
actully, we need to kill our enemy , with our own guns!
i dont see any problem with that, but these "drone strikes" are killing more of our own innocent peoples, & it should be stopped immediatly, as fast as fast possible.

just because of that , we are lossing the trust of our own citizens on our country, if our citizens unite under one plateform & having trust on our own forces, our own country , i am 1000% sure , we can kill every of "Osama Al Kini" & his relatives.

 

[Moscow]

pakistan has no agreement with the US that allowed drone attacks inside its territory, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"There is no understanding between Pakistan and the United States on predator attacks," said Muhammad Sadiq in response to the statement by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates that US would continue such attacks against militants and that Pakistan was aware of this.

But the spokesman rejected the comments and said Pakistan had done more than any other country as far as Al Qaeda is concerned.

"We look forward to working closely with the new US administration on all issues, including in the fight against terrorism," he said.

On Tuesday, Gates told a Senate Panel that missile strikes in Pakistan would continue in an effort to root out Al Qaeda members who have based themselves across the border from Afghanistan.

"Both president Bush and President Obama have made clear that we will go after Al Qaeda wherever Al Qaeda is. And we will continue to pursue this," he said.

Pakistan was expecting that the new US administration under President Barack Obama would bring an end to missile strikes inside Pakistani territory, but Gates' statement Tuesday has cleared the picture that there would be no pause on strikes.

US drones regularly conduct missile strikes on Pakistan's tribal region of Waziristan, which Washington says aimed at targeting Al Qaeda and Taliban militants.

Officials say that US carried out around 50 missile strikes on Pakistan last year, with civilians as majority of the casualties.

Earlier, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said that drone attacks could affect Pakistan-US ties and asked Washington to stop drone attacks.

He said that diplomatic and military contacts would be used to stop the US attacks.

 

[batmannow]

No deal with US on drone strikes: Pakistan

Wednesday, 28 Jan, 2009 | 05:00 PM PST
dawn/beta.com


ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Wednesday it wanted closer cooperation with the United States in the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban but had no understanding with Washington that allowed missile strikes on its territory.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday that Washington would continue with strikes by unmanned Predator drones against militants and that Pakistan was aware of this.
But in a statement on Wednesday, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry denied there was a deal.
'There is no understanding between Pakistan and the United States on Predator attacks,' spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said.'
Both President Bush and President Obama have made clear that we will go after al Qaeda wherever al Qaeda is and we will continue to pursue that,' Gates said.
In response to Gates's comments, foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told AFP Wednesday: 'Our policy remains unchanged and we believe drone strikes are counterproductive.'
Sadiq said attacks from unmanned surveillance planes were 'counterproductive to our efforts to counter terrorism,' declining any further comment.
But hours later he announced that Pakistan sought closer cooperation with the United States in the so-called 'war on terror,' despite insisting 'there is no understanding between Pakistan and the United States on predator attacks.'
'We want closer cooperation at the operational level to deal with militancy,' he said in a written statement.

 

[Jihad]

Interesting, more and more voices are heard inside the Pakistani government who condemn these drone strikes.
The stronger these voices, the bigger the chance that the U.S. might re-think her policies on Pakistan.
Keep it up I'd say to Zardari and his government, make yourself strong, send out a clear message, and keep up the pressure on the Americans (if there hopefully is any).