Pakistani civilian deaths in drone strikes constitute war crimes: Amnesty

ISLAMABAD: Amnesty International called on the US to investigate reports of civilians killed and wounded by CIA drone strikes in Pakistan in a report released Tuesday.

Amnesty said it is concerned that the attacks outlined in the report and others may have resulted in unlawful killings that constitute extrajudicial executions or war crimes, even though the US insists the strikes are legal.

”We cannot find any justification for these killings. There are genuine threats to the USA and its allies in the region, and drone strikes may be lawful in some circumstances,'' said Mustafa Qadri, Amnesty International's Pakistan researcher addressing a press conference here.

“But it is hard to believe that a group of laborers, or an elderly woman surrounded by her grandchildren, were endangering anyone at all, let alone posing an imminent threat to the United States.''

Amnesty called on the US to comply with its obligations under international law by investigating the killings documented in the report and providing victims with “full reparation.''

The report also said that North Waziristan was house to world’s most dangerous elements, which the government of Pakistan was unable to bring to books under the law of the land.

Amnesty in the said report also disputed the claims that Pakistani government or its functionaries had never consented to or were aware of the drone attacks before hand.

"It is suspected that the either Pakistani authorities or institutions were also involved in drone attacks in Pakistan's restive tribal areas", said the report.

Pakistani officials regularly denounce the attacks in public as a violation of the country's sovereignty, but senior members of the government and the military are known to have supported the strikes in the past.

”Amnesty International is also extremely concerned about the failure of the Pakistani authorities to protect and enforce the rights of victims of drone strikes,'' said the report.

“Pakistan has a duty to independently and impartially investigate all drone strikes in the country and ensure access to justice and reparation for victims of violations.''

Amnesty said victims they interviewed with no apparent connection to militant groups have either received no compensation or inadequate assistance from the Pakistani government.


Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aizaz Chaudhry praised the report's criticism of the drone program, telling Geo TV that ``our point of view is being acknowledged internationally.'' He didn't comment on Amnesty's criticism of the Pakistani government.

”The US drone policy sets a dangerous precedent that other states may seek to exploit to avoid responsibility for their own unlawful killings,'' said Amnesty.

”The USA and Pakistan both have obligations under international law to investigate these and any other cases where unlawful killings might have occurred, and deliver justice,'' said the report.

“But the USA's persistent refusal to acknowledge these strikes, coupled with Pakistan's ambiguous attitude towards the drone program and limited governance in the Tribal Areas, make it almost impossible for victims to secure the redress they need."

The US carried out its first drone strike in Pakistan in 2004 and has carried out nearly 350 more since then, the majority of which have been in North Waziristan. President Barack Obama significantly ramped up attacks when he took office in 2009, and the number peaked the following year with over 100 strikes.

The frequency has steadily dropped since then, partly because of growing tension between Pakistan and the U.S. There have only been around two dozen strikes so far this year.