With a shadowy drone war continuing in Pakistan’s northern areas, causing widespread public outrage as people question the legal, ethical and social implications of the use of drone technology, groups like the TTP will continue to recruit ready adherents from Pakistan’s angry and disenfranchised economic underclass. But the outrage is not confined to Pakistan alone as the international community continue to scrutinise drone policies and the ethics of killing targets remotely. So far Britain, the United States and Israel are the only countries to have used armed drones. During the recent visit of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Pakistan, he talked about fostering a “deeper, broader and more comprehensive partnership” with Pakistan but did not give any assurance on whether drone attacks would come to an end.
Earlier in Dera Ismail Khan, the escape of over 200 prisoners, including several notorious militants, has further exacerbated Pakistan’s febrile security situation. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the high level attack which has shaken the new government’s mission to bring some semblance of stability to the country.
