A Pakistani national whose father was killed in a U.S. drone attack in North Waziristan last year is suing the British Government accusing it of providing intelligence to Americans that assisted them in launching the attacks.
Noor Khan (27) holds the British government responsible for his father’s death. His father Malik Daud Khan was killed when a meeting of tribal leaders, known as the “jirga”, was bombed by Americans. He was among the 40 people killed.
Human rights lawyers acting for Mr. Khan said on Monday that a case naming Foreign Secretary William Hague would be filed in the High Court. They claimed that they had “credible, unchallenged” evidence that Mr. Hague oversaw a policy of passing British intelligence to U.S. forces planning attacks against militants.
They would argue that British intelligence officers who gave information enabling Americans to launch the attack may be liable as “secondary parties to murder”.
The case is said to be aimed at forcing Britain to clarify its policy with regard to providing intelligence that could be used to kill people.
“What has the government got to hide? If they’re not supplying information as part of the CIA’s illegal drone war, why not tell us? And if they are, they need to come clean, and stop colluding in a campaign that has killed hundreds of civilians,” said Clive Stafford Smith, Director of rights group, Reprieve, which is backing the case.
The Foreign Office declined to comment.
