Drone Attacks Rise in Pakistan

[tekisui]

Source: Al Jazeera

Drone attacks on Pakistan's tribal areas have intensifiedin recent days.

The raids come after it was revealed that the US government had granted approval to the CIA to expand drone attacksto lower-level members of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.

But the attacks have caused growing anger in Pakistan, as civilians continue to be killed and homes and villages are destroyed.

Jamshed Ayaz Khan, a Pakistan-based defence analyst, told Al Jazeera that a "hundred per cent are against the drone attacks".

"I have not seen anybody who is in favour of drone attacks," he said.

more w/good video: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/05/2010512161710567823.html

[tekisui]

1. Imran seeks steps to stop drone attacks

ISLAMABAD – Chairman PTI, Imran Khan, has expressed his strongest condemnation of the fresh wave of drone attacks on North Waziristan Agency on Tuesday, 11 May, and demanded of the Government of Pakistan to take immediate steps to stop them.

He stated that these attacks were killing innocent Pakistani citizens and were not being targeted at so-called militants at all. “If, as the Government and US believe, the drones were killing militants, there would have been no militant left in the tribal belt,” he added.

Imran demanded that an independent inquiry should be conducted each time whenever there was a drone attack and the media must be provided access to the site of the attack so that the truth could be established. He raised some pertinent questions relating to the legality or otherwise of the drone attacks:

Firstly, where does international law allow extra-judicial killings and that too by one state against the citizens of another state in latter’s own territory?

Secondly where is a provision for mass killings under international law?

Thirdly, under what international law or agreement is the US violating the sovereignty of another state, especially in this case of Pakistan?

Fourthly, how can a state simply eliminate mere ‘suspects’ by indiscriminate bombing? Surely in all civilised states, a ‘suspect’ is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/12-May-2010/Imran-seeks-steps-to-stop-drone-attacks

[EFerrari]

2. Do you ever watch "Mosaic", tekisui?

It's a round up of stories from the Middle East on LinkTv, and iirc, it's also available to stream at their website.

[tekisui]

3. I have not, but will look into it.

Thanks!

[EFerrari]

5. It's not edited and the segments that aren't in English

have subtitles. I like to see how stories are talked about in other countries and that's what this show does. :hi:

http://www.linktv.org/mosaic

[tekisui]

4. Wow. Two minutes into today's news: Mosque bombing in Florida

The bomb went off. Holy shit, nothing on the teevee news.
:wow:

[EFerrari]

6. After watching the small, niche shows like this one,

I don't miss the screaming, repetitive cable "news" shows.

[tekisui]

7. I've don't cable,

but I know what's on the screaming news by getting on DU. I have never missed it.

[tekisui]

8. Massacre by drones

WITH the US upping its ante against Pakistan, while trying to confuse the Pakistani leadership with a volley of statements being flung out of Washington, the increase in drone attacks has not come as a surprise. Yet the latest drone strikes have once again highlighted the civilian deaths that occur of innocent Pakistani citizens and this time round also 24 civilians were killed. The US is now investing in Pakistani analysts and NGOs to convince the citizens that drones are the most effective way of undermining the militant networks but facts on the ground prove otherwise - especially for Pakistan which has seen an increase in terrorist activities in the wake of the drones.

As for terrorist networks, it seems more likely that recruits for the militants increase with every drone attack, given how there seems to be new waves of suicide bombers coming into play across the country.

However, the drones also raise a more serious question of why the Pakistani leadership - civil and military - has allowed the US to use this means of butchering Pakistani citizens? Ironically, the Army gave out statement that it did not take “dictation from outside the country” just as the latest Pakistani civilian casualties to the missiles fired by drones were being revealed.

So if the Pakistan Army does not take dictation from outside, does this merely confirm the view that it has consented to the drones and thereby to the killing of its own citizens? This is truly shameful and certainly does nothing to enhance the sense of security of the Pakistani nation. Perhaps this may yet be another instance for the hapless Pakistanis to seek justice from the Supreme Court, which presently seems to be the only state institution able to take up the cause of the ordinary Pakistani searching for justice.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Opinions/Editorials/13-May-2010/Massacre-by-drones/