Pakistan Slams Latest US Drone Strike

FM Says Strike a Violation of Sovereignty

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a rare statement of criticism today, complaining about one of the recent US drone strikes, which killed seven people in North Waziristan Agency.

The statement reiterated what were once commonplace condemnations, saying the strikes are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity ad need to stop immediately.

Pakistan used to issue such statements after every US drone strike, but for the past several months had not done so, something many saw as tacit support for a surge in US attacks.

Polls have continued to show the drone strikes overwhelmingly unpopular in Pakistan, and even if the Sharif government isn’t serious about stopped them, it seems politically important to at least make a bit of noise about opposing them.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.