Pakistan asks US to stop drone attacks

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani interior minister called upon a visiting US regional envoy to stop US drone strikes in the country's tribal region, local media reported on Wednesday.

US pilotless aircraft routinely fire missiles into Pakistan's tribal areas to target militants blamed for cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.

The issue is one of the irritants in bilateral relations and Islamabad describes the attacks a violation of its sovereignty.

"The United States should halt drone attacks in Pakistan once and for all," Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said when meeting with US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Daniel Feldman.

"The six months break in US drone attacks in Pakistan improved the relationship between the two countries and it was appreciated by all the segments of the society," a statement quoted the minister as telling the US envoy.

"We should concentrate on the positives of our relationships and differences should be addressed. It is very important that United States understands Pakistan's point of view," Khan said.

Feldman said there is much better understanding between the two countries.

The US envoy also met Sartaj Aziz, an adviser to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs, the Foreign Ministry said.

"The adviser stated that Pakistan was determined to open a new chapter in its relations with Afghanistan. Also Pakistan would extend support for an Afghan-led reconciliation process," Aziz said.

The US envoy was told that Pakistan was engaging with Afghanistan on a broad range of issues, including peace and security, trade and economic ties, reconstruction and rehabilitation, and regional cooperation.

Pakistan hoped the upcoming visit by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani would move this process forward.