Attacks on Pakistani soil continue and on September 17, according to Dawn “missiles were fired from US drones on a house in South Waziristan, killing six people and injuring three others” US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has defended American strikes on Pakistani soil. The Nation (September 19) reports him saying that ,“The US would take whatever actions necessary in self-defence...”

John Negroponte however struck a more conciliatory note. Says Dawn (September 19) “Unilateral actions cannot defeat militancy in Fata, said US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte who also indicated on Thursday that the US and Pakistan were working on a more collaborative approach to deal with this problem” Dawn adds that “Mr Negroponte described America’s partnership with Pakistan as a very important relationship in a region where the US has very important interests ... ”

PM Yousuf Raza Gilani meanwhile stated that the US government had been asked to stop incursions in Pakistan’s territory. Reports Dawn “Talking to a team for the NWFP headed by Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti at the Prime Minister’s House, the PM said the US had been told that Pakistan would not allow violating of its sovereignty and territorial integrity”.Pakistan’s External Affairs Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan was not kept in the loop with regard to Wednesday’s attack on South Waziristan reports Dawn (September 19)

Ayesha Siddiqa states in Dawn that the statements of the army chief against US attacks should in no way mean that the US will stop its attacks: “...US policymakers know that given Islamabad’s dependence on Washington there is nothing much it can do other than issue statements...”

... contd.