New directions (US Pakistan Relations viz-a-viz Drones)
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Editorial, Dawn, Pakistan
Saturday, 16 May, 2009
PAKISTAN’S request for its own drones fleet appears to have been rejected by Washington but a compromise may be in the offing. The details of the new formula — which “marks a significant departure from how the war against Taliban insurgents has been fought”, according to the Los Angles Times — remain unclear however. For instance, the LA Times reports that drone attacks inside Pakistan will henceforth take place under the direction of Pakistani military officials coordinating with their US counterparts operating out of a command centre in the Afghan city of Jalalabad. But the US Central Command rubbishes such claims, calling them “grossly inaccurate”. A senior US defence official told this paper on Thursday that the new understanding calls for sharing data collected by drone recce missions, not joint strikes. It is too early to say exactly how the new understanding between Islamabad and Washington will pan out in the days to come. Both this government and that of Gen Musharraf have come in for considerable flak from various quarters for not doing enough to stop US drone attacks in Pakistan. These strikes, seen by many in the country as brazen violations of Pakistan’s sovereignty, may have taken out some top militants but have also killed a large number of civilians. They have added fuel to the fire of those trying to inflame anti-US sentiment in Pakistan and have led to demands for halting these. Will the public reaction be any different if — and that’s a very big if — ownership of these strikes is transferred to Pakistani authorities? Even though the Taliban have fewer admirers now than they did earlier, American attack aircraft operating in Pakistani air space will most likely remain unacceptable to many in the country, regardless of who is authorising the strikes.
Still, the new ‘plan’ signals a further thaw in US-Pakistan relations, which have improved considerably since Islamabad decided to take the Malakand militants head-on. There have been calls in America for enhancing the limited counter-insurgency capabilities of Pakistan’s armed forces which are trained primarily to counter conventional armies. Washington’s ‘do more’ refrain has, for good reason, given way to an appreciation of Islamabad’s com- mitment to the battle against militancy. On Thursday the US Senate Appropriations Committee approved some $900m in economic and security aid for Pakistan. A pending House of Representatives bill, meanwhile, calls for about a billion dollars in emergency aid. The need for close cooperation, it seems, has become clear to all.
Saturday, 16 May, 2009
PAKISTAN’S request for its own drones fleet appears to have been rejected by Washington but a compromise may be in the offing. The details of the new formula — which “marks a significant departure from how the war against Taliban insurgents has been fought”, according to the Los Angles Times — remain unclear however. For instance, the LA Times reports that drone attacks inside Pakistan will henceforth take place under the direction of Pakistani military officials coordinating with their US counterparts operating out of a command centre in the Afghan city of Jalalabad. But the US Central Command rubbishes such claims, calling them “grossly inaccurate”. A senior US defence official told this paper on Thursday that the new understanding calls for sharing data collected by drone recce missions, not joint strikes. It is too early to say exactly how the new understanding between Islamabad and Washington will pan out in the days to come. Both this government and that of Gen Musharraf have come in for considerable flak from various quarters for not doing enough to stop US drone attacks in Pakistan. These strikes, seen by many in the country as brazen violations of Pakistan’s sovereignty, may have taken out some top militants but have also killed a large number of civilians. They have added fuel to the fire of those trying to inflame anti-US sentiment in Pakistan and have led to demands for halting these. Will the public reaction be any different if — and that’s a very big if — ownership of these strikes is transferred to Pakistani authorities? Even though the Taliban have fewer admirers now than they did earlier, American attack aircraft operating in Pakistani air space will most likely remain unacceptable to many in the country, regardless of who is authorising the strikes.
Still, the new ‘plan’ signals a further thaw in US-Pakistan relations, which have improved considerably since Islamabad decided to take the Malakand militants head-on. There have been calls in America for enhancing the limited counter-insurgency capabilities of Pakistan’s armed forces which are trained primarily to counter conventional armies. Washington’s ‘do more’ refrain has, for good reason, given way to an appreciation of Islamabad’s com- mitment to the battle against militancy. On Thursday the US Senate Appropriations Committee approved some $900m in economic and security aid for Pakistan. A pending House of Representatives bill, meanwhile, calls for about a billion dollars in emergency aid. The need for close cooperation, it seems, has become clear to all.
Labels: America, Drone Attacks, Pakistan
posted @ 12:06 PM,
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