Premier: Stop missile attacks
The next U.S. president must halt missile strikes on insurgent targets in northwest Pakistan or risk failure in its efforts to end militancy in the Muslim country, the prime minister warned today.
Yousuf Raza Gilani said visiting U.S. Gen. David Petraeus "looked convinced" when he warned him the strikes were inflaming anti-American sentiment but that he got no guarantee the attacks would end.
"No matter who the president of America will be, if he doesn’t respect the sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan ... anti-America sentiments and anti-West sentiment will be there," said Gilani in his heavily guarded residence atop a hill in the capital, Islamabad.
Over the last two months, the U.S. has launched at least 17 strikes on militant targets on Pakistan’s lawless side of the Afghan border.
