Don't carry out unilateral strikes on militants: US
Pak's PM Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the suspected American missile strike inside his country which killed a top al-Qaeda explosives expert was "certainly" a violation of its sovereignty.
Asking the US not to act unilaterally against the militants in Pakistan's tribal belt, Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the suspected American missile strike inside his country that killed a top al-Qaeda explosives expert was "certainly" a violation of its sovereignty.
Gilani, who met US President George W Bush in Washington on Tuesday, also said that his government was currently in the process of collecting more information about the incident.
The Bush administration has been tight-lipped about the attack by a 'Predator' inside Pakistan's northern areas -- bordering Afghanistan. Both the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency have been mum about the incident; and the State Department along with the White House have flatly refused to comment on "reports".
Bush appeared to have gone out of his way at his White House media availability by mentioning the word "sovereignty" suggesting that Washington is mindful of this when it acts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
But it is a well-known fact that American Drones armed with Hellfire missiles routinely go after targets inside Pakistan in search of top al Qaeda and Taliban functionaries.
"... Because I'm here, I wanted to collect more details, but I have already talked to President Bush that there should be more cooperation on intelligence side, so that when there is a credible and actionable information given to us, we will hit ourselves," Gilani told CNN making the point that if the US goes about on its own it has more to do than just trust.
"Basically, Americans (are) a little impatient. Therefore, in future, I think we'll have more cooperation on intelligence side and we'll do the job ourselves..." he added.
Asked if the latest attack is a violation of Pakistani sovereignty, Gilani said: "Certainly, yes, if it is proved like this, it is certainly, yes."