Britain entangled in legal battle over ‘intelligence sharing’ with US for drone strikes in Pakistan

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London, Oct. 22: Britain could be forced to disclose if it helps direct US drone strikes with intelligence from its spy agencies in a legal battle which will start tomorrow.

The son of a Pakistani man killed in a strike in Waziristan last year has taken an action against the Foreign Office in an attempt to make it publicly known whether it provides intelligence to the United States for drone attacks.

Lawyers for Noor Khan have suggested if the UK Government admits that it does provide intelligence information to the US could expose its ministers and intelligence officers to allegations of war crimes.

According to the Telegraph, the Foreign Office is rigorously fighting the case and will try to persuade the judges to throw the case out now before any full hearing.

The Government’s current policy is not to discuss either way whether it provides such intelligence.

Khan’s legal team hope a judicial review would result in the court demanding ministers reveal what its policy is, the report said.

Malik Daud Khan was killed along with several dozen others in an attack by an unmanned CIA drone in Pakistan last year, it added.

Lawyers for his son, Noor, who lives in Pakistan, said that they are not seeking proof that spies gave information in that specific incident.

“This case is about the legality of the UK government to provide ‘locational intelligence’ to the US for use in drone strikes in Pakistan,” Rosa Curling, of Leigh Day solicitors representing Khan, said.

“An off the record GCHQ source stated to a number of media outlets that GCHQ assistance was being provided to the US for use in drone attacks and this assistance was ‘in accordance with the law’, Curling added. (ANI)