ISLAMABAD, Oct 28, (AFP): Around 2,000 Pakistanis demonstrated outside the country’s parliament Friday to demand an end to US drone strikes, claiming they kill more innocent civilians than Taleban and al-Qaeda leaders.
Cricket hero turned politician Imran Khan led the Islamabad rally, attended mostly by members of his Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) party, which is gearing up to contest its first general election.
A few dozen tribesmen from Waziristan, where most of the drone strikes are concentrated, also attended the peaceful demonstration.
Some young people in the crowd set fire to a wooden model of a drone, dancing around and shouting “No more drone attacks”, “No to drones, no to USA”, carrying big signs saying “Stop drone attacks in Pakistan”.
On Thursday, Pakistani officials said two US drone strikes killed at least 10 militants in Waziristan, including the brother of a local Taleban commander who sends fighters across the border to fight Americans in Afghanistan.
Under President Barack Obama, the United States has drastically stepped up drone strikes, which it refuses to discuss publicly, killing footsoldiers as well as Taleban and al-Qaeda commanders active in Afghanistan.
“The USA says Pakistan is a terrorist country, but they come and kill in Pakistan: who is the true terrorist then?” said Nawad Kayani, 28, a Khan activist and businessmen in the capital’s twin city of Rawalpindi.
“We came here to support the Waziri people: 90 or 95 percent of the drone victims are innocent civilians. Our government is just a puppet directed by America, they just polish American shoes,” he added.