Apropos A B Shahid's last op-ed 'Of US strategic allies', one needs to make it clear whether the US drone policy has found in Pakistan one of the key supporters of this modern tool of warfare. Was the state of Pakistan able to take out militants such as Nek Mohammad, Baitullah Mehsud and Hakimullah Mehsud by itself.
The argument that 'Pakistan is one of the countries where the US feels it can commit such violations as its right because Pakistan is America's "strategic ally" (or the 53rd US state?), is no longer plausible because the post-Cold War sole superpower doesn't have any respect for parliamentary resolutions being passed against drone strikes for the simple fact that beggars can't be choosers. Hence the need for overcoming ever-increasing dependence on US military and economic assistance.