Pakistani officials have demanded that the US and NATO halt drone attacks on the country's troubled tribal belt near the Afghan border. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad on Thursday to discusse security along the Pak-Afghan border, a Press TV correspondent reported.
Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar and Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani separately voiced their protest at US strikes inside the Pakistani territories, warning the NATO chief that such incidents could lead to 'tribesmen backlash'.
President Zardari had previously called for an end to the attacks. The Pakistani has voiced readiness to defend the country's sovereignty even if it entails clashing with US and NATO forces along the Pak-Afghan border.
The tribal regions along the shared border between Pakistan and Afghanistan became safe havens for militants after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 toppled the Taliban regime, sending insurgents across the border.
The Pentagon has used this as a pretext to launch drone attacks on Pakistan's tribal regions -- a move that has increased tension between Islamabad and Washington and has triggered anti-American sentiments among the Pakistani people.
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Pakistan says that the drone attacks trigger public anger, which undermines the country's counter-terrorism efforts.
While promising to respect Pakistan's sovereignty de Hoop Scheffer said NATO forces would maintain the right to retaliate if fired upon from the Pakistani side of the border.