"Illegal" US drone strikes fueling insurgency in Pakistan: Gilani

Davos, Jan 29 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that US drone strikes were only fueling insurgency in the country.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Gilani said that Pakistan had reminded Washington time and again that drone attacks were not a solution, and therefore, his country was against the "illegal and counter productive" drone strikes along the areas bordering Afghanistan.

Pakistan wishes to settle all issues, as a responsible country, and discuss everything diplomatically, The News quoted him, as saying.

Gilani said the strikes create sympathy for the victims amongst the population, thereby limiting the government's power to continue operations against the terrorist elements.

"We have to eradicate terrorism from its roots, we have to create more jobs for our young people, we have to invest in energy and physical infrastructure and to pay more attention to health and education," Gilani said.

"We are facing all these challenges upfront and squarely," he added.

Earlier, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan had urged the US to stop drone attacks in Pakistan because they also killed many innocent people.

He said each bomb that killed terrorists also killed many people who might be related to the terrorists, but were not involved in terrorism.

And this 'collateral damage' "creates more Jihadis than it kills", he had argued. (ANI)