Numerous lawmakers from Pakistan’s Upper House of Parliament from several political parties condemned yesterday’s US drone strike in a village near Miramshah, North Waziristan, which killed at least 10 people and wounded an unknown number of others.
Leader Raza Rabbani said the Pakistani government stands behind its previous stance against such violations of its territory. He said the US had given his government assurances that the violations would not be repeated, and said it was “unfortunate” that the violations continue.
Senator Khursheed Ahmad said this was the 67th cross-border attack in the past two years, and the 32nd in the last seven months. He said the strike was particularly serious given the recent 14-point resolution passed by parliament, which he said stressed the need to de-link Pakistan’s security policy from the US war on terror.
Senator Tariq Azim said the attack, occurring just after the resolution’s passing, was an attack on the sovereignty of Parliament, and that he was concerned by the frequent visits by Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, who has been warning the Pakistani government against moving forward with peace talks offered by the militant faction Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan.