Where Does Pakistan Truly Stand ?

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4115452/Pakistan-blasts-lethal-US-drone-attacks.html

PAKISTAN yesterday warned Britain to help stop the American "Drone Wars" that are slaughtering hundreds of its innocent civilians.

The nuclear power chillingly declared it "has the means" to retaliate unless the carnage ceases.

Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain Wajid Shamsul Hasan told The Sun in an exclusive interview that his country's relations with America are at their lowest ebb.

He said: "Patience is definitely reaching exhaustion levels." Mr Hasan said Pakistan backs the War on Terror waged by Britain and the US.

But he urged PM David Cameron to condemn US drone attacks on al-Qaeda and Taliban training camps in the north west of his country — dubbing them as "war crimes" and "little more than state executions".

Tough-talking Mr Hasan also declared Pakistan would have no choice but to support Iran if "aggressive" Israel attacks it.

But his immediate concern is the drones known to have killed 535 civilians, including 60 children, in three years.

Pakistan claims the real death toll is more than 1,000. The unmanned aircraft blast missiles at targets, directed by a computer thousands of miles away.

The High Commissioner said: "I think time is running out until the Pakistan government can take a stand.

"They will have to at some stage take punitive actions to stop them. They have got means to take such actions to defend their own frontier and territories.

Target ... Taliban house blasted

"But that will inflame the situation and stop the War on Terror and that is not what we want."

The US military claim drones have "decimated" the al-Qaeda leadership since 2008 with no reported civilian casualties.

But Mr Hasan said: "We know the damage — destroyed schools, communities, hospitals. They are civilians — children, women, families. Our losses are enormous.

"Generally people think that deaths caused by drone attacks should be treated as war crimes.

Mr Hasan urged Britain to tell the US its drone strikes are counter-productive.

On Iran, Mr Hasan said: "We would not like Israel to attack any country, irrespective of whether it's Iran or any nuclear country. We wouldn't like to be seen as part of Israel's campaign against any country. If Israel attacks Iran, it will have an impact on Pakistan as well.

"We will have to safeguard our own interests. We also have a Shia population in Pakistan who will not take it lying down.

He warned that India and Gulf countries could also get involved in any conflict.

Historian Mark Almond said of Mr Hasan's declarations: "This represents an escalation in tension."

Deadly ... unmanned US drone

"There is so much animosity that perhaps the Americans are the most hated people in the minds of the people in Pakistan."