Pak government says 339 drone attacks in 11 years claimed 400 civilian lives

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ANI Islamabad
Last Updated : Aug 27 2013 | 2:25 PM IST

The Pakistan government has revealed that more than 339 drone attacks have been recorded in the country since 2004, based on the findings of unofficial organisations which followed America's policy to use the unmanned vehicles worldwide.

The government informed the National Assembly that it disapproved the drone attacks on the country that had killed almost 400 civilians in the tribal belt of Pakistan in last 11 years, the Dawn reports.

The statement comes in response to a question asked in the assembly, but did not mention the number of terrorists killed in the drone attacks.

The government termed these drone attacks as a violation to the country's sovereignty and was building pressure through likeminded organisations, countries and the UN against their legitimacy, the report added.

Minister of State Khurram Dastagir Khan filed the response in absence of Sartaj Aziz, who is the adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs.

Khan also denied to the subsequent claims that the Pakistan government had any understanding with the U.S. government to allow the use of drones in the tribal areas.

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He said it could be safely assumed that the previous two governments led by the PML-Q and PPP had silently agreed to the issue, but the government hadn't found any written agreement between Pakistan and the U.S. on the use of drones.

He also claimed that the frequency of the attacks had decreased since the recent visit of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Pakistan.

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First Published: Aug 27 2013 | 1:30 PM IST

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