Pak can't take any irresponsible step to stop US drone attacks: Gilani

Islamabad, Jan 2 (ANI): Taking a swipe at critics who advocate a tit-for-tat reply to US drone attacks, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said Pakistan "cannot take any irresponsible step" to stop drone strikes on its soil.

"Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state which cannot take any irresponsible step to stop US Predator attacks. We are, however, confident that we will be able to persuade the world and the US to stop the drone attacks as they affect attempts to isolate militants from non-combatants," the Dawn quoted Gilani, as saying during the first-ever live telecast from the PM House.

"We are trying to convince Washington that these strikes will eventually prove counter-productive," he added.

Gilani, however, ignored the demand of his replacement made by the estranged coalition partner Maulana Fazlur Rehman, saying, "We should take Maulana's criticism positively as he remained our ally, and we would still like that he remains our supporter". (ANI)