Pakistan raises drone issue at UN

Pakistan has raised the issue of US drone strikes in its tribal regions at the UN Security Council, calling for their cessation and seeking "urgent" talks to resolve the issue, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

"Drone strikes infringe (on) our sovereignty, violate international law, including the international human rights and humanitarian law, cause civilian casualties and are detrimental to the combined efforts to fight terrorism," Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Masood Khan told the 15-nation UNSC during a discussion Thursday on the situation in Afghanistan.

Noting that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had drawn attention to the adverse consequences of the use of armed drones, the Pakistani ambassador said: "We call for cessation of drone strikes. Urgent and intense dialogue can help resolve this issue."

Earlier, all-party conference in Pakistan had recommended raising the drone issue at the UN.