PAT condemns drone strike in North Waziristan

Faiz-ur-Rehman Durrani, president of Pakistan Awami Tehreek, has condemned the drone attack in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, which killed over 40 innocent people. He said that the continuation of the policy of drone strikes inside the Pakistani territory would undermine the efforts of the state to fight the forces of terrorism and extremism. The killing of people would alienate the patriotic people of FATA and tribal regions and deepen the chasms and societal fissures in Pakistan. He said that such attacks are violative of basic human rights and principles of partnership between Pakistan and the U.S.

PAT president warned that terrorist organizations would exploit this incident to their advantage, which would intensify the wave of terror currently visiting Pakistan. He reminded the Pakistani and the U.S. authorities that the long-term solution to the problem of terrorism lay in eliminating poverty and unemployment and undertaking the development work in the FATA and tribal areas. He asked the U.S. to accelerate legislation on Reconstruction of Opportunity Zones for the FATA region.