Islamabad protest over US drone attack on NWA

ISLAMABAD, April 30: Pakistan on Monday expressed its resentment over yesterday’s US suspected drone attack in tribal area of North Waziristan Agency, killing four persons.

Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan informed that the foreign office summoned a senior Political Counsellor Jonathan Pratt of the US Embassy where the Director General (Americas) conveyed a protest over Sunday's drone attack.

A demarche was also handed over to US official while a protest was also registered in Washington by the Pakistan Embassy.

On Sunday the suspected drone carried out a strike in the restive North Waziristan Agency tribal area bordering Afghanistan after a lull of a month.

Pakistan Minister for foreign affairs Hina Rabbani Khar addressing a function in Lahore stated that Pakistan stance over drone attacks was very much unambiguous ‘halt them immediately’.

She opined that the drone attacks were proving counter productive in war on terror and ruled out any compromise on country’s sovereignty. Hina said Pakistan was not going to abandon Iran gas pipeline project under any US pressure.

Hina said Pakistan was looking for ties with US on equal footings and no pressure over any issue would be acceptable.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani earlier in the day told media that parliamentary recommendations over re-negotiating fresh terms of relations with US also contained that the presence of foreign fighters on the country’s soil would be eliminated as it should not be used against other countries.

Parrying a query, Gilani said that they had held held preliminary discussions with the US under the recommendations of parliament.

An all powerful parliamentary committee after due deliberations had forwarded its recommendations to Parliament regarding new terms of ties with US and NATO after Slalala checkpost incident of November last.

The parliament unanimously adopted the recommendations calling for unconditional apology from the US and NATO over aerial blitz in which two dozen soldiers lost their lives, besides, seeking immediate end to drone attacks on tribal area