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Summary UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said that drone attacks are violations of human rights.
United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has said that drone attacks are violations of human rights and compensation should be given to the legal heirs of deceased.The UN human rights chief called for a UN investigation into US drone strikes in Pakistan, questioning their legality and saying they kill innocent civilians.UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay made the remarks at the end of a four-day visit to the country, where US drone strikes have on average targeted Islamist militants once every four days under US President Barack Obama.Islamabad is understood to have approved the strikes on Al-Qaida and Taliban targets in the past.But the government has become increasingly energetic in its public opposition as relations with Washington have nosedived.She said that before giving a brief overview of my impressions during my four-day visit here, I would like to thank the Government for inviting me to Pakistan.Since arriving on Monday, I have met with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, his Advisors on Human Rights and National Harmony, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I have also held talks with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court in Punjab Province, and with the Supreme Court Bar Association.She said while in Lahore, I also met the Senior Advisor to the Chief Minister of Punjab on issues relating to the devolution of powers to the provinces. And yesterday, here in Islamabad, I met the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Rights and the Special Committee of the Parliament on Kashmir.Civil society organizations, journalists and lawyers have for many years played a vital role in promoting human rights in Pakistan during military dictatorships and civilian governments alike, and I met many of their leading representatives in both Islamabad and Lahore.Pakistan is at a very important juncture in its efforts to consolidate democratic civilian rule. Since the restoration of democracy in 2008, the Government has taken a number of key initiatives on human rights. During the past four years, for example, Pakistan has ratified the two key overarching international human rights treaties – the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the Convention Against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
