Pakistani Responses to Drone Attacks

In the nine years since US drone strikes began in Pakistan, the once-secretive program has been discussed and debated extensively. While there has been considerable reporting on the mechanics of the drone program – how strikes are conducted, their legality, and their impact on foreign policy – there is little understanding, especially in the United States, of how the public debate in Pakistan has shaped the perceptions of its citizens.

What do Pakistanis really think about drones? Opinion polls over the last number of years suggest massive opposition to US drone deployment in the country. A widely referenced poll by Al Jazeera/Gallup in 2009 put support for drone strikes at 6 percent. Other polls, as well as data on drone strikes, are repeated by politicians and journalists and provide the main reference point for Pakistani opinions on drones. In fact, virtually all current polling and writing on the subject shows overwhelming opposition to the use of drones in Pakistan by US forces.

Nevertheless, what Pakistanis actually think about drones may well be more complicated than is commonly reported. While at present the opinions of Pakistanis on drones are polarized, the discussion of drones has evolved over almost a decade and has become a complex lens through which multiple issues are understood. And while the question of US drone deployment has taken center stage within reflections of national and international politics, there are significant differences as to what motivates the debate, including humanitarian concerns, questions as to the legality of surveillance and attacks, and the larger question of Pakistan’s sovereignty.