Pakistan’s Government responded to the possible death of a top al-Qaeda commander on its territory by summoning Richard Hoagland, the American chargé d’affaires, to the foreign ministry, to convey its “serious concerns”.
Mr Hoagland was told the drone strikes were “unlawful” under international law and an unacceptable violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.
The recent escalation of US missile attacks in Pakistan has come at a delicate moment for relations between the two nations, which remain strained after the raid on Abbottabad and an incident on November 26 when US forces accidentally killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at a border post.
Pakistan has repeatedly asked for the attacks to be halted as a pre-condition for a resumption of Nato supplies through its territory, which were suspended after the incident on November 26 . But the US has accelerated its drone campaign even as a US envoy, Peter Lavoy, arrived in Islamabad this week for a discussion over the reopening of the Nato supply corridor.
“They are very trigger happy these days but they don’t tell us anything,” one Pakistani official said yesterday. “It’s a form of pressure tactics.”
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Western officials counter that Pakistan’s reluctance to engage militants on the ground has left the US with no choice but to resort to drone strikes.
They also point to Pakistan’s double game — a willingness to criticise the strikes in public while often welcoming them in private.
Adding to the mistrust is US anger over the treatment of Dr Shakil Afridi, who was sentenced to 33 years last month after helping the CIA to track down Osama bin Laden.
The tension will not be eased by a forthcoming murder trial, under which CIA agents in Pakistan are to be tried for their role in approving drone attacks.