Abstract
This paper contributes significantly through suggestions to overcome the problem created by the disastrous US drone strikes in Pakistan. This paper evaluates incidences of the United States’ combat drone strikes in Pakistan and the damage caused to innocent people. It seeks to determine possible violations of international laws and the extent to which these strikes diminish the sovereignty of Pakistan. After the incident of 9/11, the use of combat drones in armed conflicts among states, non-state actors, disruptive groups and organisations has increased and expanded. Combat drones are controlled by operators who depend for their primary sources of information on cameras and sensors to determine their targets. Drone strikes lack identification processes causing many innocent people to be killed or injured. Drone strikes launched in non-conflict areas also increase the concerns about illegitimate interference in a state’s territorial sovereignty and violations of international laws. It covers the following questions. What are the basic principles about the use of force? What kinds of damages are caused by US drone strikes in Pakistan that violate basic human rights principles? What are the concerns of international organisations about drone strikes in Pakistan? Summarily, it covers the United States unlawful drone strikes in Pakistan and damages caused to humanity. The paper uses doctrinal qualitative analysis to situate the research within the ethical, legal and social parameters of the related statutes of international law. The research methodology adopted is evaluative, interpretive and analytical. The paper consists of 8 segments: (1) drones and the United States armed forces, (2) some basic international law principles about the use of force, (3) possible human rights violations, (4) US drone strikes diminish the sovereignty of Pakistan, (5) demands for transparency, (6) the damages caused to humanity by the drone strikes, (7) concerns of international organisations about illegitimate drone strikes causing extra judicial killings and (8) some recommendations to regulate the use of combat drones. It demonstrates that international law does not regulate the use of combat drones in armed conflict and no considerable effort has been made to bring the use of combat drones under the rule of law. Furthermore, US drone strikes in Pakistan’s territory have been done without consensus, resulting in the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and the killing of innocent people.
Highlights
The complicated connection between war and civil liberties is a growing challenge in an environment of increased armed conflict
This paper evaluates incidences of the United States’ combat drone strikes in Pakistan and the damage caused to innocent people
What are the basic principles about the use of force? What kinds of damages are caused by US drone strikes in Pakistan that violate basic human rights principles? What are the concerns of international organisations about drone strikes in Pakistan? Summarily, it covers the United States unlawful drone strikes in Pakistan and damages caused to humanity
Summary
The complicated connection between war and civil liberties is a growing challenge in an environment of increased armed conflict. Most drone strikes occur in areas generally unapproachable to autonomous external actors Whether it is a personality strike or a signature strike, the lack of US armed personnel in the field to investigate means there are few pathways to verify evidence that the strike has gone well and evaded civilians. The Civilian Impact of Drones: Unexamined Costs, Unanswered Questions, Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, issued a statement stating that tribal elders are “carelessly and callously targeted with complete disregard to human life.” These contradictory statements indicate the challenges of identifying the individuals who are killed by drone attacks and raise questions to the USA administration for its ingenuity in counting deaths.. Khan’s physical examination revealed that he was almost half a foot shorter than Osama Bin Laden This drone attack resulted in the deaths of three innocent civilians which could have been avoided with precise information before approving the attack.. Holewinski, ‘The Constitutional and Counterterrorism Implications of Targeted Killing’, 30 April 2013, https://civiliansinconflict.org, (accessed 17 November 2017)
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