Pakistan

Islamabad to raise US drone strikes at UNHRC

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Pakistan says it will raise the issue of US assassination drone strikes in its northwestern tribal region at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session if the attacks continue.

“We will go to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva if the drone strikes continue” Tasneem Aslam, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told a weekly news conference on Thursday.

The decision comes after the United Nations passed a resolution on December 18, demanding that states using drone strikes to comply with their obligations under international law and the UN Charter.

But on Wednesday, at least four people were killed in the latest of US drone attacks that hit near the town of Miranshah in North Waziristan Province, which borders Afghanistan.

Islamabad condemned the attack as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity.

The United States has been carrying out assassination drone operations in several countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen.

Washington claims militants are the targets of the attacks, but local officials say civilians have been the main victims of such airstrikes.

Despite the reports of civilian casualties, Washington continues to defend its controversial drone program as an effective and lawful tool in targeting militants.

The United Nations says the CIA-operated drone strikes in Pakistan and other countries pose a growing challenge to the rule of international law.

The UN and several human rights organizations have identified the US as the world’s number one user of “targeted killings,” largely due to its drone attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

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