Pakistan to Protest US Drone Attacks at UN
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Pakistan will lodge a formal protest in the UN General Assembly session next month over the US drone attacks in the country, an official said.
The US attacks violate Pakistan’s sovereignty and international laws, Sartaj Aziz, adviser on foreign affairs, said in a statement in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, The Hindu reported.
“A breakthrough is expected on the issue of US drone strikes in the coming months,” he said.
The US routinely fires missiles into the Waziristan tribal region to target militants accused of crossing into Afghanistan for attacks on foreign and Afghan forces.
Mr. Aziz said Pakistani leaders in their forthcoming meetings with US authorities will ask them to stop the drone strikes as they were counter-productive.
He added that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had supported Pakistan’s stance on the issue.
Mr. Aziz said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was expected to hold a meeting with US President Barack Obama in New York next month.
Pakistan and the US have agreed to resume the strategic dialogue early next year, he said.
