Predator drones coming to Baluchistan.
The White House has authorized expanding the CIA’s Predator Drone program in Pakistan, with US officials now eager to start attacking targets in Baluchistan province.
Pakistani government objects.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said there were limits to Pakistani cooperation, and the drone attacks were counterproductive.
‘This has never been part of our discussions. There are clear red-lines as far as we’re concerned,’ he said when asked if there were any talks between Washington and Islamabad on expansion of drone attacks to Baluchistan.
‘We have clearly conveyed our red-lines to them.’
In outlining his Afghanistan strategy in a speech on Tuesday, Obama made a vague plea to Pakistan to fight the ‘cancer’ of extremism and said the United States would not tolerate Pakistan allowing its territory to be a safe haven for militants.
As I said in an earlier post, every reason and rationalization that created a broad left-right consensus supporting the attack and invasion of Afghanistan can now be said about Pakistan.
