Hypocritically, the US-client government of Pakistan, which secretly condones the US drone attacks, has condemned the attacks. "The government of Pakistan condemns the two incidents of US drone strikes that took place near Miranshah in North Waziristan on 11 and 12 June," said a statement from the foreign office.
"These strikes are a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity and additionally, these strikes have a negative impact on the government's efforts to bring peace and stability in Pakistan and the region," it said.
Congressional hearing
In October 2013, Pakistani school teacher Rafiq ur Rehman traveled over 7,000 miles with his children - 13-year-old Zubair and 9-year-old Nabila - from a small, remote village in North Waziristan to tell lawmakers about the US drone strike that killed his 67-year-old mother, Mamana Bibi.
As related by Rania Khalek of Truthout Organization, it was a harrowing tale that brought many in the room to tears, including Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), who was responsible for inviting the family to Capitol Hill for the briefing. In the end, only five members of the US House of Representatives bothered to attend. Grayson was joined by Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Rush Holt (D-NJ), John Conyers (D-Mich.), and Rick Nolan (D-Minn.).
Just one day after the Rehman family addressed Congress, a US drone strike killed three people and injured at least three more in North Waziristan. The identities of the dead have yet to be confirmed, but Pakistani intelligence officials say they were suspected militants, the same claim made in the aftermath of Mamana Bibi's death.
Amnesty International, which investigated 45 drone strikes carried out in Pakistan's North Waziristan region between January 2012 and August 2013, accused the United States of "exploiting the lawless and remote nature of the local region to evade accountability for violations of the right to life." Amnesty was particularly concerned about "signature strikes," where drone operators fire on unidentified groups of people based on patterns of behavior that signify militant activity. A signature strike is believed to have killed 18 laborers and injured 22 others in July 2012, according to the report, which also documents several double-taps or follow-up strikes targeting rescuers and mourners. Amnesty concluded that up to 900 civilians have been killed by US drone strikes in Pakistan in "unlawful killings that may constitute ... war crimes."
At the briefing, the lawmakers were asked repeatedly whether certain drone strikes constituted war crimes, as suggested by Amnesty International. All deflected the question except for Grayson, who argued that US drone strikes are not war crimes because the killing of civilians is not "deliberate." Asked whether signature strikes, which target unidentified persons, might constitute war crimes, Grayson declined to speculate, calling instead for more transparency. "I do think that there is overwhelming evidence that we need a different, more reliable system if we're going to be undertaking operations like this," he told Truthout. [*]
Peshawar High Court
In May 2013, Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan of Peshawar High Court judge ruled that the US drone strikes are criminal offences. He ordered Pakistan's government to 'use force if need be' to end drone attacks in the country's tribal regions.
According to the Peshawar High Court ruling the US drone strikes in Pakistan constitute a 'war crime' and are a 'blatant violation of basic human rights', killing hundreds of civilians. He wrote that the government to 'forcefully' convey to the US that it must end drone strikes and called on the UN Security Council to intervene.
The Pakistani government should also gather data on those affected by drone strikes, and offer redress to the victims, Khan added. At present the only data systematically released on drone strikes comes from media sources or monitoring organizations such as the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which has been investigating drone strikes and tracking reported casualties since 2011. However, this data is very unreliable and contradictory. The Chief Justice also asked the secretariat for the tribal regions release any casualty data it holds.
The judgment came in the case against the CIA brought by the Foundation for Fundamental Rights on behalf of Noor Khan, a tribesman whose father was among dozens of civilians killed in a drone strike on a gathering of tribal elders on March 17, 2011. In 2012, Noor Khan also attempted to bring legal action against the UK government for providing information that could lead to deaths in drone strikes, in a case backed by legal charity Reprieve. The attempt was refused but he is appealing.
[*] Drone Victims Tell Empty US House Their Story; Is America Listening? By Rania Khalek, November 1, 2013
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