Pakistan daily warns against expansion of US drone raids

Pakistani news daily on Wednesday said that increasing US drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal region amounted to trampling of sovereignty of the country. ‘The Nation’, in its editorial comments said that US drone attacks in Pakistani tribal region were killing innocent civilians. The drone attacks on Pakistan were increasing with rise of every new day. Many recent polls in Pakistan showed strong opposition among Pakistani citizens to the drone strikes. Majority in Pakistan described those drone strikes as a sheer violation of country’s sovereignty. Pakistanis believed that war on terror has practically been an American war in which the Pakistani government went beyond limits of subservience to the US. ‘The Nation’ said while during former President George W. Bush’s tenure, there was an average gap of 40 days between two drone attacks, under President Obama’s set-up, the interval has been reduced to four days. “Such frequent and brazen violation of our sovereignty and loss of life is totally unacceptable”, the newspaper said. It viewed that Islamabad ought to raise a hue and cry at diplomatic and military levels and if Washington paid no heed, the issue should be taken to international forums including the United Nations. “Pakistan’s air space cannot be left at the mercy of Americans”, said ‘The Nation’ adding that Pakistan's Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and the corps commanders had, in successive meetings, expressed their indignation over those attacks. “In their last meeting they announced without mincing their words that continuation of these attacks would not be tolerated”, said the paper.