Following public outcry from his own constituency over drone attacks, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi hinted at introducing legislation to criminalise collateral damage in such incidents.
The development comes after a meeting of lawmakers from the respective districts decided that the issue would be taken up in the provincial assembly, while vowing to put up a joint front to protect civilians.
“We held a meeting on bringing a law against drone attacks, but ‘they’ have protected themselves in the Constitution against drone attacks … However, we can legislate against collateral damage,” Afridi said without specifying further. He made the remarks while speaking during a session of the KP Assembly summoned to discuss the issue.
CM Afridi alleged that whenever he protested against a drone strike, he received a message that “they” understood the situation and were sorry. The chief minister questioned why such incidents never targeted sensitive installations and only targeted the people of the province.
In his fiery speech, CM Afridi also questioned the results of military operations during the last 20 years. He said that not just KP but the entire country had been destroyed due to decisions taken behind closed doors.
The chief minister also termed the Action in Aid of Civil Power Ordinance a “draconian law”.
The Action in Aid of Civil Power Ordinance, passed in 2019, authorises the armed forces to detain an individual at any time and anywhere in the province without assigning any reason and without producing the accused before a court of law.
