US plans ‘to end’ drone strikes in Pakistan

US secretary of state John Kerry told Pakistanis yesterday that Washington planned to end drone strikes in their country soon – a message aimed at removing a major source of anti-American resentment in the strategically important country.

After meeting prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Mr Kerry said they had agreed to re-establish a "full partnership", hoping to end years of acrimony over the strikes and other grievances, including the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

In a TV interview later, Mr Kerry said of the strikes: “I think the programme will end as we have eliminated most of the threat and continue to eliminate it. I think the president has a very real timeline and we hope it’s going to be very, very soon.”

US drone missiles have targeted areas near the Afghan border including North Waziristan, the main stronghold for various militant groups aligned with al-Qaeda and the Taliban, since 2004. Pakistanis have been angered by reports of civilian casualties and what they see as an abuse of their sovereignty.

It is unclear if, in their face-to-face talks, Mr Sharif asked Mr Kerry to halt the drone attacks.

But when asked at a news conference whether Pakistan wanted the US to curtail the strikes, his foreign affairs adviser, Sartaj Aziz, replied: “We are asking them to stop it, not just curtail it.”

Besides the drones and the killing of bin Laden in 2011, relations have been strained by Pakistan’s support for Taliban insurgents fighting western troops in Afghanistan as well as a Nato air attack in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed.

“I want to emphasise the relationship is not defined simply by the threats we face . . . it is about supporting the people of Pakistan . . . for Pakistan’s economic revival,” said Mr Kerry. – (Reuters)