ISLAMABAD - The resurgence of CIA drone campaign in Pakistan’s north-western tribal terrain of Waziristan region has questioned the repeated reiterations of Pakistani government and security establishment for reviewing terms of engagement with the US, giving credence to speculations that Pak-US intelligence cooperation has resumed.
Since Tuesday this week, two drone attacks in North Waziristan have reportedly killed nine people. The first attack was reported in Miranshah while the second one took place in Dattakhel area. Neither the military or government, nor any Parliamentary panel, political party or a notable politician have so far responded to the recurrence of drones strikes.
Reportedly, the two drones set off from the CIA-run Khost airfield in Afghanistan. In the past, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA’s) drone campaign followed unwritten agreements between CIA, Pakistani government and security establishment.
Last month, after Pakistan Army had made operational its full-scale defence system at Pak-Afghan Western borders following similar defence measures that were adopted at the Eastern Indo-Pak border, the reports had done heated rounds that security forces were ready to shoot down any ‘unauthorised’ flight into Pakistan’s territory including the drones.
In addition, Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had ordered suspending chain of command in the event of any aggression like that of the November 26th NATO attack on Pakistani pickets. However, the latest spate of drone strikes in the ongoing week appears to have undermined the credibility of these claims.
Director Conflict Monitoring Centre (CMC) Abdullah Khan questioned the silence of the military, government and political parties on the return of drone attacks. ‘Their silence underlines that perhaps there’s been a backdoor informal agreement on drones, yet again. It’s really intriguing to see that nobody from the quarters concerned has till date responded to the latest drone-hits. If there’s a deal, what were all those statements about reviewing ties with the US all about?’.
He believed, the questions over the credibility of military and government claims to redefine strategic relationship with the US would persist unless a clear line in response to the recurrence of drone strikes was adopted. The CMC is an Islamabad-based think tank and research centre that monitors conflict scenario in South Asia and publishes monthly, quarterly, annual and special research reports.
Its recent findings indicate that CIA resumed drone attacks in Pakistan after 54 days.
The CIA has so far killed 2,661 people in 303 drone attacks since 2004. ‘These attacks are now least significant against al Qaeda and Taliban commanders as the CIA could get only four al Qaeda and four Taliban commanders killed in 75 drone attacks in 2011’, according to CMC.
The last drone attack was reported on November 17th last year, some nine days before the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) gunship choppers on November 26th destroyed two Pakistani military posts in Mohmand Agency and killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. This followed complete disruption of Pak-US intelligence and military cooperation and the US forces evacuation from Shamsi airbase, a hotbed for CIA drones.
A number of events ,thereafter, including in-camera briefings given by Pakistan’s military to the elected leadership, the envoys conference and unanimity in decisions between the military command and political leadership to redefine rules of engagement with the US suggested that drone-hits were unlikely to recur again. Abdullah Khan agreed to the reports that recent drones had set off from Khost airfield. He said that Khost was the second most viable option for the CIA after Shamsi base.
‘They (US) cannot carry out surveillance and other military manoeuvres from Khost airfield like they were doing from Shamsi due to operational constraints but Khost is second best option for them for drones’.
Atle Hetland, an Islamabad-based Norwegian social scientist and foreign affairs expert said, ‘Drone attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas are legally, ethically, and morally unacceptable. I think there should be worldwide ban on drones, cluster bombs and landmines. It’s the duty of Pakistani military and government to explain why these attacks have restarted’.
Recently, the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, in its 35-point Terms of References (ToRs) on foreign policy, had recommended to the government not to compromise on getting the drones-hits stopped, as they, according to the Committee, were counter-productive. The Committee has previously recommended for the transfer of drone technology to Pakistan.