Pakistan has formally launched a protest with the United States over a flurry of missile strikes by the US last week in its tribal areas. Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Thursday summoned a senior US diplomat and lodged the official protest. Pakistan made it clear to the US that missile strikes in its tribal territory, especially North Waziristan Agency (NWA), are against international laws. The protest came up after the stepped up drone attacks during the last one week. Many people were killed in these attacks in North Waziristan on Eid days. There were 24 such attacks in 2012. Since this year, at least 175 people have reportedly been killed in such strikes. The diplomat was told by the Foreign Office that such strikes are a violation of the country’s sovereignty and such strikes are not acceptable to Islamabad. Last week, the US launched a number of missile strikes in NWA killing over a dozen people. “A senior US diplomat was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and informed that the drone strikes were unlawful, against international law and a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. It was emphatically stated that such attacks were unacceptable,” says a press statement issued by the Foreign Office.