Drone attacks in Pakistan

Despite growing concern over the safety of protesters, Imran Khan has decided to continue his march toward Waziristan to protest against the USdrone attacks. Imran is the first politician in Pakistan who is organizing a political march in Waziristan. Several key local and foreign personalities are part of his march. Because of the government’s silence and ban on local and foreign media, very little is known to people in the outside world that how much the destruction — both in terms of human lives as well as properties — these drone attacks are causing.

 

Most of those killed in the drone attacks are innocent Pakistani nationals including a large number of women and children who have nothing to do with militancy. A recent report published by Stanford University and New York University has concluded that these attacks have resulted in high civilian casualties and have greatly fueled anti-US sentiments in Pakistan. Pakistan’s Foreign Office issued several statements in the past and said the US drone strikes are illegal and against the sovereignty of the country but drones attacks are still continuing. In the last eight years the drone attacks have killed more than 2,000 people in Pakistan’s tribal area. According to human rights organizations in Pakistan, most of them who lost their lives were women and children. Security experts in Pakistan believe that the drone attack is the main reason for growing revenge suicide attacks in Pakistan.




Khawaja Umer Farooq, Jeddah