Pakistan blocks protest of U.S. drone strikes

Leaders of Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) or Movement for Justice party, watch as Imran Khan addresses supporters in Tank, October 7, 2012. The cricketer-turned-politician and his followers were stopped from entering Pakistan's tribal region after they bypassed road blocks to press towards the region to protest against U.S. drone strikes. / A Majeed/AFP/Getty Images

TANK, Pakistan The Pakistani military blocked a convoy carrying thousands of Pakistanis and a small contingent of U.S. anti-war activists from entering a lawless tribal region along the border with Afghanistan on Sunday to protest American drone strikes.

The group, led by cricket star turned politician Imran Khan and his political party, was turned back just miles from the border of South Waziristan. After an hour of fruitless negotiations, Khan announced that the caravan would backtrack to the city of Tank, about nine miles away. There, he delivered a speech to the crowd of about 10,000.

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Americans protest drone strikes in Pakistan

Khan has harshly criticized the Pakistani government's cooperation with Washington in the fight against Islamist militants. He has been especially outspoken against U.S. drone strikes targeting militants and has argued that Islamabad's alliance with Washington is the main reason Pakistan is facing a homegrown Taliban insurgency. He has suggested before that militant activity in Pakistan's tribal areas will dissipate when the U.S. ends the war across the border in Afghanistan.

"We want to give a message to America that the more you carry out drone attacks, the more people will hate you," Khan told the crowd.

The anti-American sentiment, always high in Pakistan, was evident in the crowd that waved banners saying "Down with America," and "The friend of America is the traitor of the nation."

• Americans head to Pakistan to protest drone strikes where they happen

Pakistan's tribal regions, such as North and South Waziristan, border Afghanistan and serve as bases for militant groups such as the Taliban to stage raids across the border into Afghanistan.

The protest convoy of about 150 cars set out on Saturday from the capital Islamabad, traveled 250 miles and then stopped overnight in the city of Dera Ismail Khan. The plan for the second and final day was to travel another 70 miles to reach Kotkai in South Waziristan. But the military stopped the convoy in the town of Kawar.

Supporters of Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) or Movement for Justice party, scuffle with police as they enter Tank on October 7, 2012. Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and his followers were stopped from entering Pakistan's tribal region after they bypassed roadblocks to press towards the region to protest against U.S. drone strikes.

/ A Majeed/AFP/Getty Images

Khan told the rally that they wanted to continue their journey to Kotkai, but the army said it was too late, and going inside South Waziristan at night was dangerous. Khan said he didn't want to put his supporters in danger, so he turned the rally around to Tank.

A spokesman for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Umar Younus, said the army stopped the convoy at a checkpoint and despite insistence by PTI leaders they would not allow the convoy to go any farther.

Regardless of whether he was able to enter the tribal region, Khan portrayed the two-day motorcade as a success.

"We have taken the voice of the people of Waziristan to the world," he said.

Thousands of supporters had turned out along the route to cheer on the convoy, which stretched about 9 miles, including accompanying media. Some of those packed into the vehicles waved flags for Khan's political group and chanted: "We want peace."

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[DIJA-WAHEED]

Just want to say that why pakistan calls itself a sovereign state,every-time america invades in pakistan's affairs.Why pakistan's high official members doesn't truly holds a protest against U.S policy,how do the drone attackers know that the person they are killing are really the terrorists.They are killing innocent people there and are themselves creating terrorists.STOP DRONE ATTACKS...!!!

[GlaucoOrtolano]

Most people protesting the drone strikes are not so concerned with civilian casualties as they are well aware that terrorists kill far more civilians than drones. They want to end the use of drone so the Taliban can set up ambushes on American troops there. As simple as that.

[jackpenn]

The entire Middle Eastern population of muslim's seem to always be protesting something with thousands and thousands of muslims chanting and burning American flags, and screaming, and destroying property, all in agressive acts of violent demonstrations where their own people get killed or injured. Yet, we as the people of the rest of the world, who are not muslim are suppose to believe muslims are a nonviolent, peaceful religious sect of people. Are you not an example of your outward display of your own actions? When you see these muslims on T.V. in all of their different majority populated countries, it is like looking back in time to the ancient biblical times,and they all seem to want to remain living in this period of time, instead of wanting to advance their way of living into the modern times. I really believe they hate Americans out of envy, and they are too uneducated, brainwashed with Islam, and too ignorant to realize this, so hating America is their only way of expressing themselves. If they believe their God is better than our God, how come we are blessed with wealth and the good life, and they live with constant death and destruction all around them, and extreme poverty? Wouldn't you think some of them would finally see the light? Realizing they might be giving too much credit to the wrong God? "God bless America"

[WJBradley]

The very people the protesters are trying to protect wish to kill them as soon as they get the opportunity. The Taliban and their ilk light up their suicide bombs in markets, schools, hospitals, with no regard for the lives of innocents, It is their preferred method of attack. If the protesters are so eager to safeguard the lives of Pakistan people they should open their eyes to the realities of what is going on and protest the cause of the problem not the solution. Personally I hope they get into the area as they wish. They will learn first hand the quality of the people they wish to protect. The drone strikes are working well. I wish they did not have to be used. I also wish there were no terrorists.

[quincytodd]

Will someone here kindly tell me just how much were the Palistani officials paid to do this? I guess not. This just goes to show just how the right-wing thugs in Washington now control Pakistan and that makes me sick! My heart still goes out to Imran Khan as I too detest this obscene butchery caused by those ungodly drones! The use of them are both barbaric and totally unchristian and no true Christian anywhere would condone their use!

[alizaki99]

I'm a Pakistani who's lived in the US and other countries as well. I'm going to be as objective as I can be here. The drone strikes are an emotional issue back home as they should be: this is a clear violation of Pakistani sovereinity and most people think this is unjustified after Pakistan and its forces having been on the recieving end of more terror attacks than any other country in the world. You can mount an argument correctly which would say that Pakistan made its own bed propping up the Taliban and you could also make an effective argument around regional strategic importance of Pakistan in the war on terror and beyond as well. I won't get into those right now.

What's clear is that the territory the drones operate in is off limits even to the Pakistan Army - virtually a lawless no-man's land. This has to change. What is also clear is that most drone strike victims are innocent people (See the recent Stanford study on this for more). Not only is that morally wrong (also something most people in the US would not support if they knew about it) but also a really really good way to make more terrorists. So we're at an impasse - the drones are (badly) doing what the Pakistani govt. should do itself. I think that is a starting point to whip up some kind of agreement where the drone strikes either stop or include intel from the Pakistan Govt. (I suspect this already happens) but are one cornerstone for a larger sweep of the area by real forces who go in and clear the militants along with construction, development and education initiatives to ensure the area becomes a prosperous in time.

Terrorists are people with nothing to lose. No one with something to lose will ever become a terrorist. Change that and you will deal with the problem effectively.

[frankrl-2009]

If Mexican rebels or drug cartel member or troops crossed our border and attacked us;what American would not back the use of drones.Religious Cancer are destroyed by radical treatments -not prayers
So called peaceful Muslims are a disgrace in the effort to eradicate Jihadists.This will be a 20 year war

[MarkDonners]

How do you think Americans would react to foreign drones murdering their children? Obama drones are terrorism, actually beyond terrorism they're a copy of Hitler and Stalin's tactics. The hypocrisy of US/NATO is more disgusting than their terrorist acts.

[AValcoholic]

@JACK_25 Jack get a life dude..Egoistic racist maniac.