Amid differences between Islamabad and Washington over increasing drone attacks in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, top American lawmakers today underlined that the US will continue with the strategy to protect Americans from attacks by terrorists based in Pakistan.
Senator John McCain, the leader of an American Congressional delegation, acknowledged there are differences between Pakistan and the US over the drone attacks, which are "one of many tools that we must use to try to defeat a very determined and terrible enemy".
The US is continuing discussions with Pakistan on the issue and intends to do everything possible to ensure that no innocent persons are injured in drone attacks.
There has been "dramatic improvement" in the decision-making process for the attacks and the US will continue "to try to find common ground" with Pakistan, McCain told a news conference.
He, however, made it clear that the US has "to do everything we can, that we feel is necessary to protect Americans from the attacks of terrorists who may be based here and operate out of Pakistan".
Senator Joe Lieberman, Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and a member of the visiting delegation, said there is "a disagreement" between Pakistan and the US on the drone strike "but we're going to continue to talk about it".
McCain, a former US presidential contender, said there are elements "operating in Pakistan, that if allowed to do so, would go to Afghanistan and kill Americans and destroy that government and re-establish Afghanistan as a base for attacks on the US and our allies...And every intelligence agency in the world will also tell you that that's the case."
The US has to take steps to prevent such attacks "and many times that is to go to the source of where those attacks are being planned and orchestrated", he said.
President Asif Ali Zardari and prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani expressed Pakistan's opposition to the drone attacks during their meeting with the US delegation and urged Washington to transfer drone technology to Islamabad so that the Pakistani military could carry out such strikes.
Lieberman claimed government-to-government and military-to-military relations between the two sides has "never been better" as they are united by "a common enemy".
Ties between the US and Pakistan have been strained by several issues over the past few months, including Washington's call for action against militant groups like the Haqqani network that are viewed as "assets" by the Pakistani military set-up.
The US yesterday complained about what it described as the "harassment" of its diplomats by Pakistani security agencies.
