Secret documents from the CIA show that senior government authorities in Pakistan not only knew about the U.S. military’s drone strike missions in the nation — but actually endorsed them.
The Washington Post reported that the CIA memos indicate that Pakistani officials were frequently briefed about the classified missions, behind closed doors. That would mean Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s public denouncement of the drone strikes was more a political show, than heartfelt criticism.
The release of the memos comes at a time when Mr. Sharif has petitioned publicly for President Obama to halt the drone strikes. They just met Wednesday, after which the Pakistani leader said: “I also brought up the issue of drones in our meeting, emphasizing the need for an end to such strikes,” BBC reported.
The use of drones by the United States has drawn the ire of Pakistani government officials, and Pakistani citizens, for months. The impact of this CIA memo on relations going forward between the United States and Pakistan, or the future of U.S. drone strikes in the country, is not yet clear. Pakistani government officials haven’t yet issued a statement about the documents, BBC reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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