Pakistan: A halt in US drone strikes

In the ongoing saga of ‘peace talks’ with the terrorists who have killed tens of thousands of Pakistanis, the administration in Washington is apparently doing all it can to facilitate the negotiations process. The US has informally agreed to halt drone strikes in the midst of these talks, carrying out strikes against senior al Qaeda or Taliban cadres only if high-profile targets become available or if there is a “direct threat to US persons”. That the superpower, which usually exercises its own will and discretion, has taken some initiative to support the dialogue process is welcome, if only for the fact that it seems the government in Pakistan and the administration in the US seem to be on the same page. According to a report in The Washington Post, the Nawaz Sharif government has been talking about halting the drone strikes in Pakistan since it took office in June last year. The government has been harking on about how the drones are in violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty — the double standards are mindboggling. Our sovereignty was compromised the moment we allowed foreign fighters to use our soil to launch attacks in Afghanistan and against our own citizens. This kind of duplicity will simply not stand; we must at least have the courage to call a spade a spade. Meanwhile PTI chief Imran Khan can be seen quite smug because he believes his protests and cries against the drones have led to this ‘ceasefire’. One doubts Washington will lend an ear to him; the Nawaz government has been working overtime to see an end to the drones and, it seems, it may have gotten its way at least partially as the US government has conceded that it does not want to sabotage the talks like what happened when it took out Hakeemullah Mehsud in November.

This is all well and good while we play at proposing peace with murderers. However, it would be just as well to remember that these criminals with whom we wish to strike a deal have a bad track record when it comes to talks. They have used these to their advantage in the past to regroup and re-strengthen themselves. The drone strikes by the US were the only thorn in their side because they have been precise and on the mark in taking out their high value Taliban and al Qaeda targets. Now that the government has managed to convince the US to pause these as well, we have provided the militants with the perfect opportunity to reconsolidate themselves. The Taliban have sent a negotiating team to speak on their behalf while they continue with their attacks against the state — a blast in Khanewal killed two elite force officers yesterday. We are playing into terrorist hands and seem to have duped the US into doing so too.