ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court Monday dismissed a petition that sought direction to the federal government to stop drone attacks, which had killed hundreds of people in the Federal Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
A three-member bench headed by Justice Saqib Nisar, hearing the petition filed by Syed Muhammad Iqtidar remarked that the court could not issue a war order to stop the drone attacks, adding the petition did not fall under the jurisdiction of Article 184 (3).
 The petition maintained that the tribal areas are part of Pakistan and if there are drone attacks being carried out there attacks can take place in major cities.
The petition was filed under Article 184(3) of Constitution, making federation through Secretaries Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Information and US Ambassador/US Charge d' Affairs as respondents.
 The petition referred the report of political authorities of North Waziristan Agency. According to that 896 civilians of the said Agency were killed during the last five years till December 2012, while 209 were seriously injured, on the other hand only 47 foreigners were killed and six injured. Similarly, in South Waziristan Agency 70 drone strikes were carried out in the last five years till June 2012. The petitioner said 553 local civilians were killed and 126 injured in the attacks.
The petitioner mentioned that the National and Provincial Assemblies of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochitan had passed the resolutions besides that the respondents did not take steps to restrain drone attacks in FATA.