‘US drone attack will strain bilateral ties’

Pakistan Army Chief Raheel Sharif on Wednesday said the US drone attacks were detrimental to Pak-US relations.

Reacting on the US drone attack in Balochistan’s Nushki district that killed Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour, General Sharif said such acts must be stopped for better ties.

Talking to US ambassador David Hale, who called on him in Rawalpindi, the Army Chief said such acts of sovereignty violations were detrimental to relations between the two countries and counter-productive for the ongoing peace process for regional stability.

General Sharif said Pakistan’s efforts, successes and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism have been unparalleled.

According to a military statement, the situation arising after the US drone strike in Balochistan on May 22, 2016 came under discussion during the meeting.

Earlier, Afghan Taliban official confirmed that their chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in the May 22 drone attack in Balochistan.

“The leader of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and commander of faithful, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, was martyred, in a US drone strike in Pakistan’s Balochistan province,” the statement said.

The Army Chief’s latest statement comes as a day after federal interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Mansour was not hindering the Afghan peace process.

The Afghan Taliban also announced Haibatullah Akhundzada as their new chief. “Haibatullah Akhundzada has been appointed as the new leader of the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) after a unanimous agreement in the shura (supreme council), and all the members of shura pledged allegiance to him,” the insurgents said in a statement. It added that Sirajuddin Haqqani, an implacable foe of US forces, and Mullah Yakoub, the son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, were appointed his deputies. Mr Khan said Pakistan had yet to confirm the identity of one of the two persons targeted by the drone strike in Noshki area of Balochistan province. “Mullah Mansour Akhtar’s killing can’t be confirmed, as there is no scientific source to confirm the identity of the targeted body. The DNA report of the targeted person is awaited,” he had said.