Court can’t stop drone attacks: CJP

ISLAMABAD: The court is not responsible for stopping drone attacks, remarked Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa while hearing a contempt of court petition against the government for its failure to stop the attacks.

Petitioner Raja Saeed Sultan filed the petition after the government failed to implement the orders of the Peshawar High Court. The high court had ordered to stop drone attacks in the country.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court dismissed the case on Thursday. During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that the strikes could be stopped by the policies of the foreign ministry and national security agencies.

Justice Khosa asked if the high court could even give a verdict to stop drone attacks. If it could order the US to stop the drone attacks. Why the US would follow the high court’s verdict. He asked whether a high court could even decide what the US would do.

The petitioner’s lawyer said that drone attacks targeted women, children and animals. Justice Sajjad Ali Shah remarked, “Please, ask yourself what are you arguing for?” The top judge said drone strikes did not even occur anymore. “The court respects the petitioner’s passion but can’t help them in any legal way,” he added.

The CJP said that now the drone attacks had been stopped adding that Interior Ministry and federal government could talk to America on this matter, as the court could not interfere in this matter.