The government of Pakistan criticises drone strikes as a violation of country's sovereignty.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a unanimous resolution against the US drone attacks, Dunya News reported on Thursday.
Pakistan successfully coordinated with like-minded States to include references to the use of drones in the resolution. This is the first instance of a reference to the issue of drones in a UN resolution.
The United Nations General Assembly resolution adopted on Thursday urges the member states to ensure that any measure taken or means employed to counter terrorism‚ including the use of drones‚ comply with their obligations under international law‚ including the Charter of the United Nations‚ human rights law and international humanitarian law‚ in particular the principles of distinction and proportionality.
The resolution also lays emphasis on the urgent and imperative need to seek agreement between states on the legal questions pertaining to the use of drones.
Since 2004 the United States has carried out hundreds of missile attacks from unmanned aircraft on suspected militants linked to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
The vast majority of them have hit targets in the seven tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, which have a separate legal and political governance system from the rest of the country.
The number and identity of casualties is often hard to determine because the tribal areas are off-limits to foreign journalists and aid organisations, but the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates deaths at between 2,500 and 3,700.
Hundreds of civilians have died in the attacks, according to various estimates, prompting outrage in Pakistan and abroad.
A major report last month from rights campaigners Amnesty International said the US may be guilty of war crimes.
The Pakistani government officially condemns drone strikes as a violation of its sovereignty, and last month Prime Minister Sharif urged US President Barack Obama to halt the programme during a meeting in Washington.
Despite their deep unpopularity in Pakistan, the US sees them as a vital tool in the fight against militants in the tribal areas.
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