...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
on Saturday and threatened to continue their demonstration until the attacks ended, whereas the provincial secretary information of the PTI announced the party would block NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
supply routes.
The protest was led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan
... aka
Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight...
and his party, the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is
Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
(PTI) along with their allies in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
provincial government.
The Jamaat-e-Islami
...
The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka
The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an
independentbranch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
(JI) and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad (AJIP) also confirmed their participation.
''We will put pressure on America, and our protest will continue if drone attacks are not stopped,'' Khan told the protesters.
Provincial secretary information of PTI Ishtiaq Ormar announced that NATO supply containers to and from Afghanistan via Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa would be stopped at the border points.
In a statement issued here Saturday, he said, "We by this step wanted to tell the world that we could do what we said and we could do anything for our people."
Ormar said that PTI's teams would stop NATO supply from entering into the borders of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa at any point including Khairabad, Charsadda, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan
... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ...
and Hangu, while this blockade of NATO supply would continue till US stopped drone attacks and formally sought apology on human killings in Pakistain.
He said that American drone attacks were brutally extended to the settled areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and if this was not noticed and properly reacted then such attacks could also be made at any other part of the country as well.
Earlier during the day, Khan called for a complete blockade of NATO convoys to Afghanistan to put pressure on the US to abandon its drone programme. "We will not allow NATO supplies to pass from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and in any case will stop drone strikes," Khan told the gathering.
"We are here to give a clear message that now Paks cannot remain silent over drone attacks," Shah
Mehmood WormtongueQureshi, a senior member of the PTI, said in a speech to the protesters.
Party workers of the PTI and JI had arrived at Ring Road in the lovely provincial capital from across the country. According to some estimates, around 10,000 people participated in Saturday's protest. The protesters shouted anti-US slogans, such as "Down with America" and "Stop drone attacks."
Strict security arrangements were put in place by the provincial government, including deployment of over 500 polce personnel to ensure safety and order. Transporters were directed to use alternative routes.
"I am participating in today's sit-in to convey a message to America that we hate them since they are killing our people in drone attacks," said Hussain Shah, a 21-year-old university student. "America must stop drone attacks for peace in our country."
The US Embassy in Islamabad declined to comment on the protest.
The protest comes only two days after a rare US drone strike outside of Pakistain's remote tribal region killed six people, including senior commanders of the Haqqani network, at a seminary in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Hangu district.
... Hangu is famous for its greenery, hills, beauty and water. Most of the people of this area are Bangash & Orakzai Pashtuns. Part of the Bangash are Shia. The Orakzai and the Sunni Bangash are determined to kill them...
The attack outraged Pak officials, as did one on Nov 1 that killed the former leader of the Pak Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, a day before the Pak government said it was going to invite him to hold peace talks.
Khan earlier set a November 20 deadline for the halting of drone strikes and threatened to block NATO convoys in northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
But on Saturday he said he will take the issue to the country's top court and, if necessary, to the international court of justice.
NATO supplies were suspended Saturday because of the rally, which was held on same route used by NATO trucks.
Ring Road leads to Torkham, one of two border crossings used to ship supplies from Pakistain to Afghanistan, and is a key transit route to transport supplies to NATO troops in the war-torn country.
Tahir Khan, a government official at Torkham, says there is normally little NATO supply traffic on the route on Saturdays. Most trucks arrive at the border by Friday evening to clear customs.