Public anger over US drone attacks could endanger Americans in Pak, says Pak diplomat
By ANIFriday, October 8, 2010
ISLAMABAD - Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to London, has said that the recent US drone attacks in Pakistan had “set the country on fire” and warned that such kind of acts in the future could lead to mounting public anger, which might eventually lead to attacks on American personnel in Pakistan.
“If they [the Americans] kill someone again, they will react. There is a figure that there are 3,000 American personnel in Pakistan. They would be very easy targets,” The News quoted Hasan, as saying.
He also said that America’s warning of Mumbai-style al-Qaeda attacks in western Europe might have been exaggerated to ensure political gain in next month’s midterm elections.
He further said that Obama was under pressure to demonstrate that his Afghan war strategy and this year’s troop surge, which are unpopular with the American public, was effective ahead of the elections, in which the Republicans are expected to make big gains.
“There may be internal political dynamics, including the forthcoming midterm American elections. If the Americans have definite information about terrorists and al-Qaeda people, we should be provided with that and we could go after them ourselves,” he said.
On Wednesday, the US apologised for a helicopter strike in Pakistan.
At least two Pakistani soldiers were killed in the incident last week when NATO choppers opened fire in a cross-border raid. The US had launched unmanned aerial drones in Pakistan’s tribal areas in recent weeks. (ANI)
