» Drone Debate | Dawn.com Forums

Illustration by Faraz Aamer Khan

At a meeting in Washington, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik sought drone technology from the United States and said It will be used responsibly.

Malik said: “If we get drones, we will use them responsibly, just like we use F-16s.” US media reported on Sunday that Pakistan appeared to be changing its stance on the attack.

Malik told reporters he had conveyed Pakistan’s concerns about the drones to senior U.S. officials, but he did not say whether he had asked them to stop the attacks.

Like Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, the Interior Minister also said that while Pakistan was not against the use of drones against militants, it disagreed with the practice.

Opinions on drone strikes conducted by the US are mixed – some agree that it is the only way to eliminate radicalism, while critics argue that it violates Pakistan’s sovereignty and that the Pakistani military should be the one to conduct these operations.

Do you think Pakistan should acquire drones to strike terrorists in the tribal belt? Would the anger over foreign interference cease if these attacks were carried out by our own military?

If Pakistan conducts attacks in these areas, can it ensure that no civilians are killed? If so, how?

According to Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Kamal Zaman Kaira issued a statement on MondayThe Pakistani government has been against drone strikes since day one – however, this statement itself is contradictory as our government has not done anything to stop drone strikes.

Despite all the official and some unofficial voices opposing these attacks by the US, the fact remains that Pakistan has not taken any concrete steps to scrap its drone program. So should Pakistan continue to remain silent and let these missiles do their job, or have we reached a point where some transparent decisions need to be made to appease a beleaguered population?

If the United States continues to carry out these attacks, shouldn’t the Pakistani government also openly admit to the public that they approve of it?