In-focus

Pakistan

US terms drone strikes 'classified operations'

Dunya News

The US administration has refused to comment on Pakistan's demand to end drone strikes.

The US State Department, responding to a question on Monday regarding Pakistani Foreign Offices demand that the drone strikes should be discontinued forthwith, has declined to comment on the subject terming it an intelligence matter.I can’t talk specifically about classified operations, said Mark Toner, deputy spokesperson of the US State Department in a briefing. He, however, hinted between the lines without using the exact words that drones were part of the American administrations fight against Al Qaeda in Pakistan and there was still no chance that these operations would be stopped.Speaking more broadly to your point, as we’ve said many times, we share a common interest with Pakistan when it comes to going after Al Qaeda, and then seeing a stable Pakistan emerge in the region. As we’ve said many times, Pakistan faces a strong core threat from these extremist groups, and we’re committed to cooperating with them in counter-terrorism, he stated.He also refused to confirm reports that senior al-Qaida operative, Abu Yahya al-Libi, was taken out in the drone strike carried out in North Waziristan, in Pakistans tribal areas. No. I really can’t. I can’t confirm that, he quipped.On the ongoing negotiations for reopening of NATO supply routes in Pakistan, he said that there was not much headway on this issue. He, however, informed that the US Deputy Secretary of State, Thomas Nides, in cooperation with the Department of Defense, did speak with Pakistan’s Finance Minister, Abdul Hafeez Shaikh over the weekend on this issue.He once again made our case on why we believe it’s in everyone’s interest to reopen these lines of communication, and we’re going to continue to make that at various levels, that case, the deputy spokesman said. He, however, disagreed that the discussion with the Pakistani Finance Minister was about the financial demands made by the country for reopening g-locks.We do, obviously, continue to talk to the Pakistani government. This is a government-to-government conversation, and it’s an issue at which we’re engaging the Pakistanis on, as I just said, at a variety of levels, he stressed.This is a point that we’re making, an argument that we’re making at every level – the importance of reopening these lines of communication, he added.When asked whether the US administration had got any clarification from Pakistan on Dr. Shakeel Afridi case, he said we have not yet received any updates.”“Our position’s been very clear that we don’t think there were ever any grounds to hold him, much less convict him of any wrongdoing, he reiterated the stance voiced by several US officials earlier as well.When asked to elaborate on the position of US administration, he explained there was this weird reversal, if you will, last week on which they said, in fact, he was tried – and again, I’m going just off of news reports – because of his ties to the Pakistani Taliban. And we’ve yet to receive from the government, to my understanding or to my knowledge, a clear explanation of that shift.The State Departments deputy spokesman was also asked about another case in Pakistan where a court acquitted four alleged accomplices of Faisal Shahzad, New Yorks Times Square bombing accused. I did see that court decision from the weekend. I don’t have a lot to say. I mean, obviously, we want to see the Pakistani Government pursue prosecution in these kinds of cases. But obviously, it was a legal process that took place and a legal decision or a court decision was made, he dilated.When asked whether the US saw any resemblance between this acquittal and Dr Afridi case as a signal from Pakistan to the US, he firmly said that this was not the case. It’s our understanding that the case proceeded according to Pakistani law, he remarked while referring to the acquittal of Faisal Shahzads accomplices.This is a case where the Government of Pakistan brought these individuals to trial for their complicity in this case. There was a trial that took place. Unfortunately, they didn’t win that trial, but we think it’s important that they did pursue justice, he went on to explain further.Mark Toner also expressed ignorance about detention of US diplomats in Peshawar with a large number of weapons in their vehicle. I’ll take the question. I don’t have any update or information, he observed.- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC