Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum.
Pakistan rejected on Tuesday a US proposal for joint operations in the tribal areas against terrorism and militancy as differences of opinion between the two countries over various aspects of the war on terror emerged. The proposal for joint operations in the tribal areas had been floated by US presidential envoy for the region Richard Holbrooke and Joint Chief of Staffs Admiral Mike Mullen during a series of meetings with the civilian and military Pakistani leadership.
During meetings on Tuesday, US officials were told that continuing drone attacks inside Pakistan’s territory were counter-productive and Pakistan requested that drone technology be shifted to the Pakistan Army. US officials were also told that it would be difficult to bridge the trust deficit if statements maligning the ISI kept coming from the US and if US officials kept ignoring the contributions of the Pakistan Army and ISI in the war on terror.
Do you think the Pakistani decision to refuse to conduct joint operations in FATA is correct? Should Pakistan’s cooperation with the US in the war on terror be made conditional on the cessation of drone attacks? How best can the US proceed without the support of the Pak Army and ISI?
The Pak government should say YES to joining the US.
Number of drone attacks should be increased.
There will be no peace unless and until we crush by force all talibans.
I think there are very few people who are against the drone attacks actually.
These guys must remember that Pakistan is our identity. If Pakistan does not exist (which is a probability) then there will be no place for them either.
As I have already requested in my previous messages, when will Dawn organise a virtual vote on this issue?
Joint operation with US forces I believe would mean that the Pakistan Army is a subservient to the US army and will operate under their command and control authority. Since the objectives and destinations of two armies are sometimes totally different from each other, the refusal of Pakistan was absolutely, principally and practically correct.
How can a state claim its soverenity in the presence of barbarian acts like drone attacks? Pakistan Government has no option except to say a big “NO” to defend its territorial integrity.
Pakistan Army and the ISI are assets and the last hope for Pakistan. But at the same time they must understand that only if they act under the constitution of Pakistan, the people will stand by them and support them. If they act otherwise, I feel the people of Pakistan should come out against the invaders like the world had seen on March 15, 2009. Enough is enough.
Enough is enough. That was the message Shah Mahmood Qureshi conveyed to his interlocutors from the US.
If joint ground operations are allowed, where will be the difference between an occupied Afghanistan and a “free” Pakistan?
In my opinion, the entire country will explode. Unless the US has in mind other sinister strategies such as joining FATA and NWFP with Afghanistan to facilitate a unified command and support an independent Balochistan, it should desist from its aggressive actions.
I have no idea what our leaders are waiting for? By the time they implement their ‘whatever’ strategy, the taliban would have killed half the security forces and the other half would have fled. Please send the military, do target killings, join the US, do whatever necessary to get rid of these barbarians!