ISLAMABAD: US drone strikes targeting the Taliban and Al Qaeda violate Pakistan’s sovereignty because Islamabad says it has not consented to the attacks, a UN envoy has said.

Pakistan repeatedly denounces US drone strikes, criticising them as a violation of sovereignty that inflame anti-US sentiments despite leaked US diplomatic cables that showed leaders allegedly agreed to them in private. 

UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, Ben Emmerson, visited Islamabad as part of a probe into civilian casualties caused by drone strikes. The position of the government is clear. It does not consent to the use of drones by the US on its territory and it considers this a violation of its sovereignty, Emmerson said. It involves the use of force on the territory of another state without its consent and is a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, he said.         Agencies