Legality of US Drone Strikes in Pakistan

Abstract

Legality of US drone strikes in Pakistan is a long debate among U.S. and Pakistan. U.S. has tried to justify these attacks in Pakistan and Pakistan’s government has condemned these attacks publically and the citizens of Pakistan have continued to question the legality of drone strikes despite of U.S. justification. This research has been conducted in order to understand whether the U.S. justifications are enough to call the drone attacks legal or not, using historical, analytical and descriptive approach. It is a qualitative research with secondary sources of information. This research concludes that U.S. justifications are not enough in order to declare the drone strikes in Pakistan as legal. U.S. drone attacks are illegal in context of self-defense explained by UN Charter, International Humanitarian Law, Collateral Damage, Jurisdictions of International court of Justice in different events and violation of sovereignty of Pakistan. Moreover, U.S. is not only to be blamed for these strikes but also Pakistan is responsible for these attacks in Pakistan keeping the double-faced and vague policy of Pakistan’s government towards these strikes in its own territory. The attitude of Pakistan’s government has proven to be ineffective in this regard. An appropriate solution is required for this major international issue.