A/HRC/22/12 14. The Minister stressed that in the past 10 years; terrorism and extremism have endangered national security and the social fabric and violated the human rights of citizens. Pakistan has made extraordinary efforts and sacrifices to eradicate the scourge of terrorism and build a peaceful and stable region. No country and no people had suffered more in the epic struggle against terrorism than Pakistan. To date Pakistan had lost nearly 7,000 soldiers and policemen, and over 40,000 people in total. The total cost of this struggle to Pakistan’s economy over the last decade had been nearly US$ 70 billion. Despite these barbaric acts and gigantic losses, Pakistan’s commitment and resolve to combat the scourge of terrorism remained unwavering. 15. The Minister stressed that drone strikes and resulting civilian casualties were counter-productive, against international law and a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. She urged the Council to discuss comprehensively the human rights challenges linked to the drone strikes. 16. The Minister said that Pakistan’s counter-terrorism response was in compliance with the obligations under international law. Counter-terrorism operations were conducted on specific intelligence with all precautions to avoid civilian causalities. Any complaints against law enforcement officials were taken seriously by their respective departments, Parliament and the courts. 17. The Minister stated that for centuries Pakistan hosted various religions whose followers had lived in peace and harmony. She said that the minorities were an integral part of Pakistani society and had played an important role in the development, peace and prosperity of the country. The Constitution guaranteed the rights of minorities to freely profess their religion and visit their places of worship. Extremists were targeting the vast majority of Muslims who were moderate and did not subscribe to their extremist agenda. In this connection, Pakistan had lost many bold voices advocating tolerance and respect. 18. The Minister stated that Pakistan attached importance to the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Following the restoration of democracy in 2008, all curbs against the media were lifted. Over 100 television channels and many more radio stations and newspapers regularly highlighted political, social and human rights issues and led the national debate on issues of public importance. 19. The Minister said that Pakistan hosted one of the world’s largest refugee populations, of over 3 million people, for more than 30 years. Despite drastic reduction in international assistance, Pakistan continued to host the refugees in the spirit of traditional hospitality. 20. The massive floods and rains of 2010 and 2011 caused dislocation of 2.6 million people. Extremist threats and the ensuing law-enforcement action in Swat and parts of FATA also resulted in dislocation of a section of the local population. The National Disaster Management Authority and the Provincial Disaster Management authorities established to provide emergency assistance and relief during natural calamities have fully integrated human rights and gender-sensitive training in their activities. 21. The catastrophic floods affected around 20 million people and caused immense damage to infrastructure. Energy shortfall also increased exponentially in the last few years. These developments adversely impacted the economic strength of the country, its ability to finance projects in the social sector and had slowed Pakistan’s progress in achieving MDGs. 22. The Minister reported that, despite economic constraints, efforts have been made to improve social-economic conditions of the citizens. In the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, the subjects of health, education, housing, social welfare, women’s development, local government, and water and sanitation have been devolved to 5