ISLAMABAD, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan Thursday confirmed that the United Nations Special Rapporteur is undertaking an inquiry into human rights violations in the U.S. drone strikes in the country's tribal regions, local media reported.
Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Ahmad Khan said the exercise is part of a broader mandate given to the Rapporteur by the UN Human Rights Council to examine abuse of human rights while countering terrorism.
"Pakistan, along with other like-minded countries, had called for examining the extra-judicial and targeted killing including through drone strikes resulting in death of civilians and non- combatants," the spokesman said at the weekly news briefing in Islamabad.
The U.S. uses its spy aircraft to launch attacks in Pakistan's Waziristan tribal region, claiming that they target the remnants of al-Qaida and Taliban militants, who are blamed for cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.
Pakistan and tribesmen insisted that the American unmanned aircraft kill innocent people and Islamabad also said the attacks provoke anti-U.S. sentiments in the country.
To another question, the spokesman said Pakistan regards drone strikes as violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. "These have no legality and are counter-productive. This issue has been a constant source of concern for Pakistan and we have been communicating this to the U.S. administration at every level."
The spokesman said President Asif Ali Zardari would visit United Kingdom in the first week of next month to attend trilateral summit there along with British Prime Minister David Cameron and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan.
Replying to a question, he said that Pakistan has initiated a process of release of all Afghan Taliban detainees to help facilitate the reconciliation process in Afghanistan. He, however, said he would not give names or numbers.
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