In Pakistan, military and political leaders are voicing opposition to a $7.5 billion US aid package approved by Congress last week. Pakistani military officials say conditions attached to the aid would violate their national sovereignty. The spending measure calls for extensive US monitoring of Pakistan’s internal operations. In Washington, visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi dismissed the Pakistani military opposition. But he renewed calls for the US to transfer drone technology to the Pakistani government as an alternative to US attacks.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi: “People in Pakistan today recognize the effectiveness of this new technology, the drones, right? And we have also seen some high-value targets taken out through this technology. We feel that in Pakistan there is a big debate going on on the issue of sovereignty. People feel that our sovereignty is violated with this usage of the drones.”