Defending his government’s decision to bar the US from conducting drone strikes into the major western city of Quetta (population around 900,000), Interior Minister Rehman Malik insisted there was no such thing as the “Quetta Shura,” the Afghan Taliban leadership group the drones were supposed to target.
Pakistani officials have insisted the Quetta Shura is something of a myth for years, pressing the US to give them some sort of evidence of where this group operates if they have it. So far there has been no public indication that such evidence was ever offered.
Other officials familiar with the situation insist that Pakistan’s government is virtually obliged to take this position regardless of the situation in Quetta, because their weak coalition could never stand up to public opposition to the US strikes against such a major city.
The Obama Administration has launched a massive number of drone strikes against Pakistan’s tribal areas since taking office, but has avoided launching attacks against Pakistan’s provinces. Given the large number of civilians killed in the sparsely populated tribal areas, strikes against a major city would be a serious public relations struggle for both the US and the pro-US Zardari government.
Well, we asked nicely! Allies indeed Hurumph! Now we can dispense with the niceities. If I were a betting man, I would bet many a "suspected missle strike" will suddenly show up in Quetta Daily news in the coming months!
PPP has sold out for dollars against innocent lifes and I think is good for Pakistan as ppp will be vanished in the next election but the american dollars will remain with PPP especially notorious greedy Zardari who will even sell his mother for money.
This is the law of Allah that if you kill innocent people will be killed sooner or latter and this is the case with america. We know that majority of american soldiers in Afghanistan are drug addict i.e. death candidate and the others being killed by Afghans who are fighting for their mother land.
Pakistan will survive and this is the wish of america to destabilise our country but will not succeed.
America is morally bankrupt and to kill civilians is act of biggest terror for me there is only one terrorist that is america who wants to rob the natural resources of other countries.
When all is said and done, they will be obedient servants to the Masters in Washington and London, this is just a lame attempt to show Pakistani patriots and resistance fighters that they care for Pakistan instead of serving Anglo-American interests.
As with other revelations from Washington, the "Quetta Shura" appears just more bovine skatology or B.S. By inventing a boogie-man, we can continue making and launching drone strikes, keep our troops posted in distant venues and of course make lots of money for the military-industrial-Congressional-complex.
Wow, you mean there's a disgusting perverted act our Pakistani whores won't do for Uncle Sam?
"Given the large number of civilians killed in the sparsely populated tribal areas, strikes against a major city would be a serious public relations struggle for both the US and the pro-US Zardari government."
My heart really bleeds from learning of such "serious" public relations struggle. If you met a person uttering that as his problems, then please relieve him of his imaginary life – for the sake of us living.
I shudder when we consider civilian deaths as either 'collateral damage' or even worse as a 'public relations nightmare'. What are we? What have we become? Is the drumbeat of WAR 24/7/365 so strong that no one stops to think about those on the receiving end of those missiles and guns- or are they just nameless <insert derogatory term of choice, just like in all wars> that we gun down in the name of democracy? As it stands now, every man or woman who pulls the trigger or presses a button and sends civilians to their death is racking up an impressive score for the Day of Judgement. Sure you believe in following orders- but have you ever stopped to think that those orders might be wrong and immoral? I think I'm on pretty solid ground when I say that God/Allah/Yaweh doesn't accept the excuse of 'I was just following orders' when the blood of innocents is on your hands. Yes, we have enemies out there- largely those we have made ourselves- but it's sad when the self-proclaimed greatest military in the world can't see the rot coming from within. Not only are we killing innocents, but by forcing our young men and women into a mindset where it's okay to do so we are endangering their very souls as well.