Islamabad, Jan 29 (IANS) Pakistan and the US have longstanding friendly relations, but drone strikes are only fuelling insurgency in the country, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.
“In the light of recent events, we are reviewing our relations to build a long-term relationship on the basis of mutual respect, trust and interest,” Gilani said Saturday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Terming the drone strikes as “illegal and counter productive”, Gilani said Islamabad has conveyed its concerns to Washington and wishes to settle all issues diplomatically, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
The prime minister said the strikes “create sympathy for the victims” and lessen space for the government to continue operations against terrorists.
Pakistan-US ties ran into trouble following the NATO-led air strike on a Pakistani military border post in November last year that killed 24 soldiers.
Gilani said the incident was a “turning point” and it “created a bad taste”.
He said prior to the attack there had been a number of other incidents that had already strained ties between the two countries.
