Pakistan PM Hopes Obama Means End to US Air Strikes

by Jason Ditz, November 16, 2008

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani said today that his government is in “regular contact” with the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama, and expressed hope that they would halt the US policy of launching drone strikes inside Pakistan.

Without knowing anything yielding from this contact, the prospect seems unlikely. Obama was an outspoken advocate of launching attacks inside Pakistan throughout his campaign, to the point that even rival candidate Senator McCain chided him for “telegraphing his punches.”

Gilani’s comments also didn’t seem to take into account today’s revelation that the Pakistani government has a tacit agreement with the US about those air strikes, under which the US won’t admit they’re launching them and the Pakistani government will publicly condemn them while officially ignoring them.

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