ISLAMABAD - Pakistan condemned in the strongest terms the US drone attacks in North Waziristan on Saturday morning.
The Foreign Office in a statement said Pakistan has consistently maintained that these illegal attacks are a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and are in contravention of international law.  The Foreign Office further said it is our considered view that the strategic disadvantages of such attacks far outweigh their tactical advantages, and are therefore, totally counterproductive. Saturday’s US drone strike was 12th this year. Data shows that nearly 93 people have been killed in US strikes in 2012.
Pakistan had summoned a US diplomat for lodging a formal protest when a strike killed four people on April 30.
The Foreign Ministry says that the issue of American drone strikes will be taken up with the US authorities through diplomatic channels both in Islamabad and Washington.
On Thursday, Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan said Pakistan was working with the US at various levels to resolve all outstanding issues, including an alternative to drone attacks.
The parliament last month approved guidelines for relationship with the US, calling for immediate halt to American strikes.
The US has so far rejected calls from Pakistan to stop drone strikes and the latest strikes show that Washington is in no mood to change policy on these strikes. Americans insist that the CIA-run strikes are effective to eliminate al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. Pakistanis say that drone strikes are counter-productive, kill civilians, increase anti-US sentiments and create problems for the government.