The number in the US Predator drone strikes on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border by the C.I.A. has risen dramatically in 2010 under President Barrack Obama. So far this year, the US has carried out 57 strikes till June 30.

With almost six months left in 2011, the total number of attacks between 2004 and 2009 should be surpassed sometime in December at the current pace. The strikes continue to target top leaders of al Qaeda, the Taliban, and allied jihadist groups based in the tribal areas, as well as the jihadist infrastructure and operatives used to carry out attacks against Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the west.

Interestingly, more than half of the strikes have taken place in the tribal areas controlled by North Waziristan Taliban leader Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the Mehsud Taliban, Mullah Nazir and the Haqqani Network. Over the past year, 20 top Taliban and al Qaeda leaders and operatives have been killed (between April 1, 2009 and April 1, 2010) by Predator strikes in Pakistan.

The use of drone is a very successful technology to hunt high-value target but it has drawn a strong reaction throughout in Pakistan. Attacking militants on the soil of a longtime US ally is strongly resented because the drones kill innocent civilians along with a few militants, causing widespread resentment against the Americans - forcing the moderate elements to join the ranks of the radicals to avenge the deaths of their dear ones.

In an article titled “Drones Backfiring on US Strategy”, César Chelala illustrated an episode of “inaccurate and unprofessional reporting” by a team of Predator drone operators that killed 23 innocent men, women and children — and 12 more were seriously injured.

The author warned the risks involved in the use of drones, which many law experts see as violating rules of war. While questioning the legal status of using unmanned aircraft, Phillip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, has accused the US Administration of “carrying out indiscriminate killings in violation of the international law.”

In Pakistan, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan has recently requested the Supreme Court to declare drone strikes as 'war crime' and a violation of the sovereignty of Pakistan.

This air campaign has deep-rooted fallouts, which are (a) Drone attacks are an infringement on the sovereignty of Pakistan. (b) Carrying out indiscriminate killings is a violation of the international law. (c) As the drone operators undertake operations entirely through computer screens and remote audio-feed, thousands of miles away from the battlefield, there is a risk that a 'play-station' mentality may develop. (d) The strikes have a blowback effect and may help al Qaeda leaders in recruiting more militants. (e) Countries (including India) having the drone capability may use these dangerous weapons more frequently as a routine, casting adverse impacts on the safety of innocent civilians.

Despite Obama's tilt towards troops surge, Islamabad appreciates that the use of force is not a permanent solution. As former CIA officer Bruce Riedel cautions, “The drones are a lot like attacking a beehive, one bee at a time. You can kill some very important bees, but the hive is going to remain.”

Therefore, Pakistan wants to strike peace deals with the softer element of Taliban. It is high time to block the use of unmanned aircrafts inside settled areas of Pakistan. Only by so doing will Pakistan be able to win the sympathy and support of the Pakistani people - a support so crucial for the peace and stability of the region.

I. A. KHANZADA
Peshawar

(II)

The recent news about the Lahore High Court asking the government to stop drone attacks is debatable. I believe the drone technology has been instrumental in fighting militancy.

If you ask anyone who has any experience in this regard, he would definitely tell you that any unmanned vehicle, whether aerial or ground, is a better option than sending in troops and fearing casualties in the process. By using this technology not only have we been able to hit the militants, we have also made an effort to safeguard the lives of our soldiers by not putting their lives at risk.

As far as the issue of controlling the plane is concerned, I believe it requires ample technical training; and now that surveillance drones have been provided to Pakistan, we can train our officers to a level where they can successfully use it. But in no way, can drones pose a threat to our national security, identity or even our ideology for that matter.

I. B.
Hyderabad