‘US officials assured drones would not attack during peace process’

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif said that the US officials had assured him that the drone attacks would not be conducted during the process of peace negotiations with the Taliban.

Shahbaz said that it is very unfortunate that high-level assurance was not followed. US attitude is damaging the serious efforts for the restoration of peace which is indirectly encouraging terrorism in the country, he lamented.

The chief minister revealed he had told a high-level US official that the drone attacks are an insult to Pakistan’s independence and integrity. He said that the US official was surprised over the remark and after few days he gave assurance that drone attacks would not be carried out during process of peace dialogue with the insurgent group.

Shahbaz said that if problems continued to be created for Pakistan then the serious and sincere efforts to eliminate terrorism would suffer a major blow.

“If US really wants to wipe out terrorism then it will have to cooperate with Pakistan”, he said.