ISLAMABAD - Top Pakistani civilian leaders got enraged yesterday as the United States issued a fresh warning that there would be no end to the drone strikes even after Islamabad slammed the ‘violation’ of its sovereignty by the global power over the weekend to kill Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in London for a medical check-up, was in regular contact with his diplomatic aides as the developments continued to unfold.

Pakistan has not yet confirmed the death of Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour but US President Barrack Obama and Afghan leaders have made official statements confirming his killing.

Officials here said the Taliban leader’s death remained a mystery and Pakistan could not confirm it until solid evidence.

Yesterday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also said he could not confirm Mansour’s death adding the body recovered from near the Afghan border was charred beyond recognition.

He said the DNA samples had been collected from the remains and would be tested against a relative who came forward to claim the body. “The government of Pakistan cannot announce this without a scientific and legal basis,” he said.

State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said his country respected Pakistan’s sovereignty but will carry out strikes to eliminate terrorists who were targeting its forces.

“As we have said before, we will carry out strikes to remove terrorists who are activity pursuing, and planning and directing attacks against US forces,” he said.

Mansour, believed to be in his 50s, was killed when a US drone fired on his vehicle in the Balochistan province. He had emerged as the successor to Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, whose 2013 death was only revealed last summer.

A senior official at the foreign ministry told The Nation, the Prime Minister had asked his Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi to present Pakistan’s case to all the friendly countries besides contacting the US to stop the ‘unwanted strikes.’

The PM and the top diplomats agreed that the drone attacks could slowly engulf the whole of Pakistan and transform it into ‘another Afghanistan.’

“For the political leadership it is unacceptable and the military leadership also is on the same page. The latest US statement could further dent the Pak-US ties. Everybody is enraged at US response to our protests,” he added.

Another official said the PM himself will spearhead the Pakistan campaign against the US drone attacks and seek help from his friends.

He said the government feared more such attacks in Balochistan and elsewhere as Washington believed in ‘Quetta shura (council).’ “They can try to pre-empt as they have always done. And who knows they strike in Punjab too in future. The only option for us is to stop them before the things get out of hands. We know ultimately they have to settle for a dialogue so why not now,” he added.

International relations expert Dr Pervez Iqbal Cheema said the sudden killing of Taliban leader had disrupted the ongoing peace process in Afghanistan.

Also, he said, the drone attack inside the territory of Pakistan was a sheer violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and national integrity.

“Pakistan should register its protest on all global forums as US is turning out to be a free rider and police man of the world. The US is playing in the hands of India and its ham-handed policy for South Asian region is influenced by Indian dictates,” he added.

Cheema said the leadership crisis in Taliban factions was going to halt peace process for indefinite period of time, which would cast serious implications for the whole region.

“Who will be the new leader of Taliban? What would be his policies towards Afghanistan and towards entire region? These all are million dollar questions and necessitate serious considerations,” he remarked.

Defence analyst Lt. General Moeen Haider (retd) – a former Interior Minister – said primarily, Mullah Mansour was resident of Afghanistan, adding the US killed him inside the territory of Pakistan just to persecute Pakistan and to disgrace it in the comity of nations.

“Through this attack, the US has signalled that it can launch air strikes anywhere on the surface of the earth. However, Pakistan is a sovereign and independent state and it can defend its territorial boundaries at any cost. The killing of Mullah Mansour has done nothing but prolonged the much needed and anticipated peace process in the region,” he maintained.

Former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan was standing at the crossroads and the nation would regret for years if it did not choose the correct path.