Pakistan’s drones consent: FO says no details, all know govt view

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ISLAMABAD: Responding to a question regarding a Washington Post report that the Pakistani government had been on board with regard to drone attacks, at least during the four-year period from 2007 to 2011, the Foreign Office spokesman said he did not want to go into details, adding that everyone was aware of the present government’s stance on these attacks, DawnNews reported.

FO spokesman Aizaz Chaudhry said Friday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had reiterated the country’s stance on drone strikes during his meeting with US President Barack Obama in his visit to America.

The FO spokesman said the US was also being pressured on the global and local levels to stop drone attacks.

Chaudhry said Prime Minister Sharif’s visit to America had been fruitful, adding that counter-terrorism, energy, trade and other matters of mutual interest were discussed with concerned officials during the trip.

Separately, the FO spokesman said America had no objections over the Pakistani government initiating a dialogue with militant organisations. On the contrary, it supported the talks, he added.

Prime Minister Sharif and President Obama had also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the two leaders agreed to support the reconciliation process in the war-torn country, the FO spokesman said.

Responding to a question regarding a meeting between Sharif and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh over ceasefire along the Line of Control, the disputed frontier in Kashmir, the FO spokesman said it was disappointing on India’s part to target 27 Pakistani check posts. He said that in the past few months, India had violated the ceasefire and killed a number of civilians.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry also said that Dr Shakil Afridi, the man who had helped the CIA track down former Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, had broken the country’s laws and that he would not be handed over to anyone. He added that the cases against Dr Afridi would be dealt as per Pakistan’s laws.

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