SOVEREIGNTY means a state’s independent authority and absolute right to govern without external interference. Osama bin Laden violated our sovereignty; he entered our territory and resided in Abbottabad, right beside a famous military academy. No one took notice of this. Later, on May 2, 2011, US helicopters did the same but the response of our national security agencies and government was no different than it is now.

The killing of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, apparently in Balochistan, refreshes the memory of the Abbottabad operation: Mullah Mansour steps into our country and stays here. After that, he is killed by American forces in a drone attack. This makes a mockery of our security agencies, which knew about neither Mullah Mansour nor the Americans.

Even more questionable is the irresponsible attitude of our government, which took more than a day to record its point of view over such an important issue. This incident has badly exposed our zigzag foreign policy. We have no proper foreign minister, which shows the incompetence of the government.

How can we say we are a sovereign state?

Ali Raza
Hujra Shah Muqeem

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2016