Pakistan to lodge protest against U.S. drones at UN

Pakistan will formally lodge its protest on U.S. drone attacks in the UN General Assembly session next month, the country's top official said Friday.

Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz in a policy statement in National Assembly said the U.S. attacks violate Pakistan's sovereignty and international laws.

"A breakthrough is expected on the issue of U.S. drone strikes in the coming months," he said, without elaborating.

The U.S. routinely fires missiles into Waziristan tribal region to target militants who are accused of crossing into Afghanistan for attacks on foreign and Afghan forces.

Aziz said that Pakistani leaders in their forthcoming meetings with U.S. authorities will ask them to stop drone strikes as they were counterproductive, Xinhua reports.

He added that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had supported Pakistan's stance on the issue.

Aziz said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was expected to hold a meeting with U.S. president in New York next month.

According to the report, commenting on Pakistan's relation with U.S., Aziz said that the U.S. only insisted on cordial relations when they wanted something and returned to give a cold response when the purpose was fulfilled.

"Our government has successfully made U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry realise that Pakistan-U.S. relations should not be seen through the Afghanistan lens," he said.

The adviser said Pakistan and the U.S. have agreed to resume strategic dialogue early next year.