Pakistan has drawn the Obama administration's attention to the issue of US drone attacks, as its foreign minister on Wednesday urged a review of the strategy that is "alienating the people" in counteraction to Islamabad's efforts to rally the people behind the fight against violent extremism.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is taking part in three-way review consultations with US and Afghan diplomats on Washington's strategy for the Pak-Afghan border region, suggested in an interview that the transfer of the predator technology to Pakistan would resolve many issues with the people.
"We have an issue with the drones. And I have flagged that issue in talks yesterday - What I'm asking for is that they have to review the strategy vis-a-vis drones," he told American Public Broadcasting Service channel.
He said the US proponents of the strategy "feel they (drones) are advantageous because they have a tactical advantage, and they have carried out some successful strikes and taken out some high-value targets. That is correct." "At the same time, there is a collateral damage that is linked to the drones and that has alienated people there," he pointed out.
Qureshi elaborated that the democratically elected government of Pakistan, is trying to approach the problem differently. "We want to carry the people along, because we feel, if we want to win this fight, we cannot do it by military means alone. We've got to have the people of that area, the people of Pakistan, with us, and these drones alienate the people." He argued in response to a question that "if they (drone) are necessary, if they are a necessity, then I think we are suggesting that technology should be transferred to Pakistan and that will resolve quite a few issues with the people of Pakistan."
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