ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan has strongly condemned the drone attack in its North Waziristan tribal region on May 16, saying such strikes are a clear violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
On Saturday, the US drone fired two missiles on a house in Wara Mandi area of Shawal tehsil in North Waziristan agency, killing at least five persons.
“We condemn such strikes which are a clear violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Foreign Office Spokesman Qazi Khalil Ullah said in a statement.
The spokesman said that these generate distrust among the local populace at a time when the military operation Zarb-e-Azb is moving ahead decisively and the focus of the government is shifting towards rehabilitation of the civilian population.
“We reiterate our call for a cessation of such strikes,” the spokesman added.
The Pakistani military launched the full-fledged operation Zarb-e-Azb in June last year in the restive North Waziristan tribal region against various banned militant organizations following an attack on the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.