After the change of guard in Islamabad, a number of Pakistani politicians have recently been describing the drone attacks as counterproductive. Yes, they are counterproductive, but for the terrorists who have been holding Pakistan at gunpoint for many years. Who can deny that after 9/11, thousands of Afghan Taliban and foreign militants moved from Afghanistan into the Pakistani tribal belt; who can deny that these Taliban terrorized the tribes by killing hundreds of Maliks (tribal chiefs) to disrupt the very fabric of the tribal social order; who can deny that the Pakistani government struck several peace deals with the Taliban but to no avail as the terrorists used these deals as an opportunity to rearm and regroup and who can deny that the Taliban has never complied with Pakistan's request to have foreign militants registered (for their deportation in due course)? And who can deny that in 2009 Pakistan handed over the Swat valley to the Taliban where their brutal rule resulted in the persecution and killing of the local population; who can deny that the Taliban have killed around 50,000 civilian and military personnel; who can deny that after several semi-successful army operations in South Waziristan and a few other tribal agencies, terrorists are now holding up in North Waziristan; who can deny that the moment the army plans to launch an operation in North Waziristan, all the religious parties start to protest; and who can deny that the Taliban have been involved in the destruction of hundreds of schools, health centers, power networks and substations, attacks on army and paramilitary forces, and suicide bombings in markets, women's shopping areas, bus terminals, railway stations, airports and government buildings. Drone attacks are used by religious and rightwing political parties and their media supporters to divert attention from the real issue: If the tribal belt is cleared of illegal foreign and local elements, state control is established by having the army guard the nation's international borders, and the movement of terrorists and attacks across the border are stopped, then the need for drone attacks will also cease and they will come to a halt the same evening. We should be mature enough to distinguish between reality and propaganda. The murder of 50,000 Pakistanis at the hands of terrorists is a reality. Let's be brave and call a spade a spade. Masood Khan, Jubail
