Drone strikes to end tomorrow if Pak chooses : US Congressman

[third eye]

http://dawn.com/news/1052872/drone-strikes-to-end-tomorrow-if-pakistan-chooses-us-congressman

US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee member Congressman Alan Grayson speaking with the BBC has said that drone strikes in Pakistan could end tomorrow if the country wanted to and that no such attacks take place without the approval of Pakistan, BBC Urdu website reported.

The Democrat Congressman from Florida also said that he received no evidence from the Obama administration to suggest that there would be a drop in drone strikes conducted in Pakistan by the end of this year.

He said that had Pakistan wanted, drone attacks on its territory could end tomorrow if the country stopped facilitating the US strikes.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, during his recent trip to the US, had talked to President Obama on the drone issue after which the government had announced that the results of the talks would be visible shortly and that the nation would see its positive effects in the coming days as the number of drone strikes would significantly be reduced by the end of this year.

Pakistan has a strong Air Force which had the power to impose a restriction on its borders whenever it chose to, according to the Congressman who added that, such attacks were not possible without the consent of the country struck.

Citing the example of Iraq, he said, the war in the middle eastern country ended only after the host government had asked US troops to leave its soil.

Grayson further said that it was possible that a similar situation developed in Pakistan and only then there would be an end to drone attacks.

Moreover, he said Pakistan's armed forces were capable of tackling militants and that in such a situation the US should not have blood on its hands.

He added that there were only a handful militants in the country, whose numbers hardly run into hundreds, whereas the strength of Pakistan's military was more than a million.

"If they (Pakistan's military) wanted, they could control the situation and ease the lives of thousands of citizens."

Grayson was of the view that heirs of the innocent victims of drone attacks should receive compensation from the United States.

Wondering as to why the decision of who lives and who does not was taken thousand of miles away from Pakistan, Grayson said that the call was for God to make but drones were taking those decisions here instead.

Earlier on Tuesday Congressman Grayson met with the family of a Pakistani elementary school teacher, Rafiq-ur-Rehman, whose mother was killed in a US drone strike last year.

Rafiq, who was visiting the US with his family on an invitation sent by Congressman Grayson, provided him with their accounts of the attack that killed the school teacher's 67-year-old mother, Momina Bibi in North Waziristan.

 

[Ayush]

but they won't

 

[ali_raza]

conspiracy to creat a divide within us. blooody gora from george bush,s constituency...lol

 

[Devil Soul]

Drone strikes to end if Pakistan chooses: US Congressman
WASHINGTON: US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee member Alan Grayson said that if Pakistan wants, drone strikes “could end tomorrow”, BBC Urdureported.

Grayson stated that such strikes cannot occur without Pakistan’s approval and they would stop if the Pakistani government stopped facilitating them. This claim runs contrary to Pakistan’s stance that drones attacks are conducted without the approval of Pakistani authorities.

Remarking on the strength of the Pakistan Air Force, Grayson said that “these strikes would not be possible if Pakistan did not facilitate them.”

He also stated that “the way to stop drone strikes is through dialogue, not threats.”

Using Iraq as an example, he said the war there ended after the Iraqi government had told US troops to leave their soil.

He added further that the end to drone attacks would come only if a similar situation developed in Pakistan.

After Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s trip to the United States, his main advisor, Sartaj Aziz had said that America had not made a formal announcement that drone strikes will stop but they will reduce by the end of this year. Grayson however said he saw no evidence that Obama’s administration had implied a reduction in drone strikes by the year’s end.

Grayson felt that the US should compensate the heirs of innocent victims of the drone attacks.

 

[Norphisor]

Ab aye na line par.