Pakistanis protest US drone attacks

People in Pakistan have held a rally to protest against US assassination drone attacks in the northwestern tribal belt of the country.

The protesters took to the streets in the central city of Multan on Saturday, condemning the US drone attacks in the remote tribal region.

The protest came hours after at least four people were killed by a US drone strike in the village of Heso Khel around 35 kilometers (21 miles) east of Miranshah — the main town in North Waziristan.

Meanwhile, Pakistani officials say that Islamabad plans to lodge a formal protest in the UN General Assembly session next month over the US drone attacks in the country.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently slammed the aerial assaults in his country, describing them as a violation of the international law and the UN Charter.

Washington claims the air raids target militants, but reports on the ground show that civilians have been the main victims of the attacks.

The United States often uses its assassination drones to hit targets in Pakistan and some other countries including Yemen and Afghanistan.
US President Barack Obama recently defended the use of the controversial drones as “self-defense.”

The airstrikes, initiated under former US President George W. Bush, have been escalated under the Obama administration.

The United Nations and several human rights organizations have already classified the United States as the world’s number one user of “targeted killings” largely due to its drone attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The UN says the US drone strikes in Pakistan pose a growing challenge to the international rule of law.