US Secretary of State John Kerry is greeted by US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson upon arrival in Islamabad, Pakistan, July 31, 2013.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with senior Pakistani officials over the issue of US assassination drone attacks in Pakistan.
Kerry arrived in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad on Wednesday on an unannounced visit, and is scheduled to meet with Pakistani President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and advisor for foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz on Thursday.
The US secretary of state will reportedly try to calm tensions over the deadly US drone strikes, which Pakistan says breach its sovereignty.
A senior US official, whose name was not mentioned in the reports, told reporters, Å“We will discuss with the Pakistanis counter-terrorism, cross-border militancy, the economic agenda and how we can continue to partner in terms of promoting a secure and stable Afghanistan.”
On July 29, Pakistanâ„¢s Foreign Ministry condemned the latest US killer drone strike in North Waziristan. Several people died in the attack.
Å“The government of Pakistan has consistently maintained that drone strikes are counterproductive, entail loss of innocent civilian lives and have human rights and humanitarian implications,” the Pakistani Foreign ministry stated.
The Pakistani premier has slammed the US drone strikes, describing them as a violation of international law and the UN Charter.
The UN says the strikes in Pakistan pose a growing challenge to the international rule of law.
The latest drone attack was the fourth US airstrike since Nawaz Sharif took office in June.
Washington claims the airstrikes target militants, but reports on the ground show that civilians have been the main victims of the attacks.
The United States often uses its assassination drones to hit targets in Pakistan and some other countries including Yemen and Afghanistan.
US President Barack Obama recently defended the use of the controversial drones as Å“self-defense.”
The airstrikes, initiated under former US President George W. Bush, have been escalated under the Obama administration.
DB/HSN
Republished from: Press TV