JURIST - Paper Chase: Pakistan lawmakers seek end to CIA drone strikes

[JURIST] The Pakistani Parliament on Thursday approved recommendations [text] for redefining the government's relationship with the US and NATO, including calling for an end to CIA drone strikes. The new plan comes in response [Pakistan Today report] to the incidental drone strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November. The 14-point resolution covers everything from Pakistan's nuclear program to the fee charged to NATO forces for shipping non-lethal supplies through Pakistan. The plan calls on the US to review its use of drone strikes and the rules of engagement of US troops in Pakistan:

This means (i) the cessation of drone attacks inside the territorial borders of Pakistan, (ii) no hot pursuit or boots on Pakistani territory and (iii) the activity of foreign private security contractors must be transparent and subject to Pakistani law. lt needs to be realized that drone attacks are counter productive, cause loss of valuable lives and property, radicalize the local population, create support for terrorists and fuel anti American sentiments.

Pakistani officials view drone strikes as a violation of national sovereignty and Pakistan has closed the Afghan border to NATO since the attacks in November.

The debate about drone strikes in Pakistan is highly contentious. Some argue for the importance of Pakistani consent and others focus on the dangerous precedent such strikes may set [JURIST op-eds]. As recently as last month, the Pakistani government called for the US to halt the unmanned strikes [JURIST report]. Earlier in March, a rights group brought a lawsuit against the UK for its role in the drone strikes [JURIST report]. Last July, Pakistani civilians sought the arrest of an ex-CIA official [JURIST report] in relation to the use of drone strikes. The US Department of State's [official website] legal advisor has been an avid defender of the strikes since March 2010 [JURIST report].