Pakistan told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that a United States drone attack that killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour on the Pakistani territory had dealt a blow to the Afghan peace process, further complicating the situation.
"The US drone strike on our territory was a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity and a blatant breach of the principles of the UN Charter and international law," Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi said this while speaking in a debate in the situation in Afghanistan.
She said, "This unacceptable action had added to the intensity and complexity of the Afghan conflict." The drone action, Ambassador Lodhi said, had raised serious questions about whether the international community was ready to invest in war instead of peace in Afghanistan. The use of force over the last 15 years had not led to peace, she said, advising against the continuation of such a strategy.
At the outset, Ambassador Lodhi took exception to remarks by Afghanistan's UN Ambassador Mahmoud Saikal accusing Pakistani of interference in his country's internal affairs and allowing anti-Afghan terrorist groups to operate from safe havens inside the Pakistani territory. "The international community is well aware of and acknowledges Pakistan's contribution and sacrifices in countering terrorism," she said, while reaffirming Pakistan's support to a genuine Afghan peace process. "This is a somber moment for the people of Afghanistan, for the region, and for the international community, which has invested so much blood and treasure to restore peace and stability in Afghanistan."
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