Pak elected to UN Human Rights Council

Pakistan, along with 11 other countries, was elected as a member state of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council by the body's General Assembly on Monday, securing more than two-thirds of the vote.

Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi congratulated the country on its "diplomatic success" on her Twitter account and said that the "victory is a manifestation of the international community's trust in Pakistan".

"Pakistan's record of promoting and protecting human rights has been vindicating by this victory," she said in a tweet.

Lodhi lauded UN's Pakistan team for their efforts and contribution in securing more than two-third votes of the UN General Assembly. She also thanked the "world community" for the "overwhelming support".

Other countries elected by the UN General Assembly include Australia, Afghanistan, Nepal, Qatar, Congo, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, Chile, Mexico and Peru. They will serve on the 47-member council from January 2018 through the end of 2020.

The Democratic Republic of Congo was elected to the UN Human Rights Council despite opposition from the United States and a leading rights group.

Kinshasa now finds itself in the rare position of sitting on the Geneva-based council while the body investigates allegations of killings, torture, rape and the use of child soldiers in the Kasai region of the DR Congo.