US developing strategy to reduce tensions over drone attacks

Daily Times

* US Deputy Pak-Afghan special representative says Washington to increase aid to help Pakistan develop its own communications strategy

ISLAMABAD: US officials are developing a new communications strategy in order to reduce tensions in the aftermath of its drone attacks in Pakistan.

Aiming to bolster Islamabad's understanding of US tactics, officials are planning to expand public relations initiatives in the country, according to Paul Jones, the deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia.

According to an article published in Eurasiatnet.org, Jones, while testifying before the US Congress, said that he could not discuss the drones' successes in a public hearing, but said a "very important part of our tactics is strategic communications".

Strategy: He said the US planned to increase the aid to Pakistan "quite significantly" in order to help the Pakistani government with its own communications strategy. That included distributing radios to Pakistanis in the Tribal Areas and helping Islamabad with public service announcements, he said.

Jones added that such programmes "will help people understand what the goals of the Pakistani government and the international community are, and how they are helping the country of Pakistan".

But Islamabad is apprehensive about the drone attacks, saying they have resulted in a high number of civilian casualties. It claims drones have killed only 14 Taliban and other terrorists since 2006, but over 700 civilians.

US officials dispute the figures but refuse to publicise the data, which it rates "classified".

Some experts assert that the Pentagon was relying on drone attacks too much, but said a better information strategy could help ease the existing problems.

"Drone strikes excite visceral opposition across a broad spectrum of Pakistani opinion. The persistence of these attacks on Pakistani territory offends people's deepest sensibilities, alienates them from their government, and contributes to Pakistan's instability," said Nathaniel Fick, the chief executive officer of defence think-tank Centre for a New American Security, who also testified at the hearing.

"Currently, strikes from unmanned aircraft are carried out in a virtual vacuum, without concerted information campaigns or an equally robust strategy to engage the people," he said.

Washington has also pledged $381 million to help the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Pakistan and $164 million of that has already been distributed.

But US officials happily let the Pakistani government take credit for supplying the assistance to the internally displaced persons, as their presence is often not welcomed by the locals.

Jones said that in order "to counter the attempts by extremists to influence displaced persons, it is very important for the displaced persons to see that their own government is actually providing assistance".

Another participant of the congressional hearing, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Senator Carl Levin said the US was being "hamstrung" by Pakistani officials frequently criticising the drone attacks.

Apart from bolstering the information campaign, Washington is providing some forms of military assistance as well.

In June, the US gave Pakistan four Mi-17 helicopter gunships.

"The additional helicopters are meant to enhance Pakistan's capabilities in current operations against extremists, and its efforts to care for hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis who have been displaced from their homes by the fighting," the US embassy in Islamabad had said in a statement.

Jones said that the US was providing two more helicopters later in July and then an additional two at a later, undisclosed date. daily times monitor/app