Pakistan Demands An End To C.I.A. Drone Strikes

ISLAMABAD, April 12 (Reuters) - Pakistan's parliament on Thursday unanimously approved recommendations from its national security committee on ties with the United States, including a demand to end drone strikes.

Action on the recommendations has yet to be decided by the government. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said in a live televised speech to parliament that the government will attempt to implement them "in letter and spirit".

He did not say whether Pakistan would reopen overland supply routes to U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan. They were suspended after a Nov. 26 cross-border NATO air attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and plunged already troubled ties to their lowest point in years.

When asked whether Pakistan would re-open the supply routes to Afghanistan, Information Minister Firdos Ashiq Awan did not specify a course of action.

"Parliament has given us some guidelines and principles. Keeping them in mind, and the will of the people, we will soon take an appropriate position on the matter," she told reporters outside parliament after Gilani's speech.

Gilani reiterated Pakistan's call for the United States, the source of billions of dollars in military and economic aid, to respect the South Asian nation's sovereignty.

A halt in drone strikes and an unconditional apology for the NATO attack were the national security committee's main recommendations.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States would look forward to discussing the parliamentary recommendations with Pakistan's government.

"We respect the seriousness with which parliament's review of U.S.-Pakistan relations has been conducted," Nuland said. "We seek a relationship with Pakistan that is enduring, strategic, and more clearly defined."

While Pakistani leaders often criticise the drone programme, analysts say successful strikes on high-profile al Qaeda and Taliban militants would be difficult without Pakistani cooperation.

Pakistan says publicly the drone strikes fuel anti-American sentiment, are a violation of sovereignty, and inflict civilian casualties.

The United States has been seeking Pakistan's cooperation to stabilise Afghanistan before most foreign combat troops leave at the end of 2014, mainly because of its links with the Afghan Taliban and other militant groups.

That cooperation has been hard to secure after a series of events, even before the NATO attack, including the U.S. special forces raid that killed Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil in May last year and humiliated the powerful military. (Reporting By Qasim Nauman; additional reporting by Missy Ryan in Washington; writing by Michael Georgy; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[Unca Allen]

04:59 PM on 04/23/2012

United States to Pakistan: Kiss my grits!

[PV2Wagner]

09:36 PM on 04/16/2012

Maybe if Pakistan didnt shelter the enemies of the world there would be no need for drones

[truenewyorkfan]

12:06 AM on 04/16/2012

I agree Pakistan. Assassinations are the tactics of tyrants and backwards nations. Its a good thing we here in the United States don't assassinate people because of our Constitution say no Bills of Attainder and our Fifth Amendment.

We do however launch missiles in random plots of land that conveniently manage to hit key perceived enemies.

President Obama "Change we can believe in," which means, "We will change from a practice of waterboarding, to outright assassinations."

[jacksparrow34]

03:39 PM on 04/15/2012

Pakistan cannot demand anything, Pakistan is not even a country, they are just bunch of tribes and ethnic groups living together, fighting, killing each other everyday while the educated ones have left the country long time ago or are in process of leaving.

[truenewyorkfan]

12:09 AM on 04/16/2012

The United States is a collection of fifty sovereign States united under on banner for their common defense and welfare.

The U.S. on paper, has more in common with the German Confederation than it does Spain, France, or England.

[jacksparrow34]

03:55 AM on 04/16/2012

"Common defense and welfare" is no where to be found in Pakistan.

[PV2Wagner]

09:37 PM on 04/16/2012

pakistan is known for protecting terrorists

[holyghostie]

09:43 AM on 04/15/2012

The Pakistani military has been tipping off Al Qaeda and hiding Bin Laden for years. Bush kept handing them money without getting anything tangible. Obama used the drones and the commandos....and the Pakistanis don't like that the Players got played for once....

[Unca Allen]

05:03 PM on 04/23/2012

Obama didn't do anything. The U.S. military and the CIA did.

[Wuzzup]

06:27 AM on 04/15/2012

US of A the greatest threat to world peace!! Change you can believe in......

[Unca Allen]

05:04 PM on 04/23/2012

You can always leave. The terrorists declared war on us, not the other way 'round.

[sculptor]

02:00 AM on 04/15/2012

Yes, they do have a legitimate right to make those demands. However, we have an equally legitimate right to demand they stop supporting our enemies, even if it's only the tacit support of turning a blind eye to their existence in Pakistan.

[dogheadj]

11:55 PM on 04/14/2012

WTF? Are the moderators even moderating? I can't seem to do a simple login, although several of my comments have already been posted. Each time I try to post they ask me to login again, after which I get an error message, but my comments show up anyway, but I can't like or dislike, or F&F. Is HP really that incompetent in this day and age?

[Unca Allen]

05:05 PM on 04/23/2012

Maybe it's your filthy language.

[dogheadj]

11:50 PM on 04/14/2012

Get the innocents out of there, and then turn the place into a glass parking lot.

[dogheadj]

01:19 AM on 04/15/2012

Oh, and I forgot. Take their oil as well.

[Unca Allen]

05:06 PM on 04/23/2012

Pakistan has no oil, dolt.

[CapSen]

11:45 PM on 04/14/2012

The more innocent people, or even 'guilty' people getting killed by drones, the more 'terrorists' will spring up.

The US, expert in escalating minor conflicts.

Expert in conducting a foreign policy that invariably leads to a result the opposite of what was intended.

Violence only breeds more violence. It's as simple as that.

[truenewyorkfan]

12:10 AM on 04/16/2012

While I'm inclined to agree with almost everything here, I do believe France is the master of making mountains out of mole hills. Point and case, WWI.

[CapSen]

08:17 AM on 04/16/2012

Ah, don't get me started on France :D

Always fighting the last war, instead of the present one. 1870, 1914, 1940.

Not to mention the useless imperialist struggle with Britain, which ended up with France possessing useless stretches of desert and Britain with the goodies (oil) :)

[hiker326]

05:48 PM on 04/14/2012

Pakistan... my picture won't be posted, but you don't want to see what I'm doing to your flag!!!

[ruolivert]

03:35 PM on 04/14/2012

It's interesting that many commentors talk about the foreign aid we give the Pakistani government as if it has some how justifies the US dropping bombs killing innocent people.

[cwaged1002]

02:50 PM on 04/15/2012

Considering that most of USA aid is for training military and law enforcement by US contracted private security firms, who does it really benefit?

[PV2Wagner]

09:39 PM on 04/16/2012

was osama bin laden innocent? i mean, im sure the Pakistani military base right by Bin Laden's house didnt know anything about his presence

[wbcoc]

01:24 PM on 04/14/2012

I don't blame Packistan for demanding an end to drone strikes, but I don't like the fact we send them so much money and then they demand form us. Stop the drone strikes, stop their funding. They have been shown to have a corrupt way of spending all the money we sent them anyway.

[Regenleif Ali]

06:54 AM on 04/15/2012

Exactly, corruption, but only the leaders down. We always had capability, yes, we still do. Don't want to sound ungrateful, the aid has been quite a booster in some respects, but we could do without it.

[Unca Allen]

05:09 PM on 04/23/2012

Sure as hell wish you would. I pay taxes to support my country, not yours.

[AIIegroTroppo]

10:30 AM on 04/14/2012

U.S.Demands An End To ISI Terrorist Strikes

[Unca Allen]

05:10 PM on 04/23/2012

Good idea. Fanned.

[Rexter]

08:45 AM on 04/14/2012

I'm always amazed how these protesters, mostly illiterate in Afghanistan and Pakistan, have such a grasp of the english language that they can produce such well written protest signs in english.

[AIIegroTroppo]

10:31 AM on 04/14/2012

That's easy.
The reporters help them write the signs.

[wbcoc]

01:25 PM on 04/14/2012

Is that ethical?

[NeverBendover]

02:46 PM on 04/14/2012

It's all probably managed by western educated Islamists. These low level idiots are just cannon fodder.