PESHAWAR - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan Saturday announced that his party would lead a ‘peace march’ to Waziristan next month to meet with the families of drone victims to ascertain whether dead were militants or innocent tribesmen.
“Not only party workers but tribesmen, media persons and human rights activists will also join the peace march,” he said addressing a protest rally and sit-in against loadshedding and drone attacks here at Firdous Square on Saturday. Senior leader of the party Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Senior Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi, provincial leader Iftikhar Jaghra, former president of PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Asad Qaiser, provincial spokesman Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Farman and hundreds of PTI workers were present on the occasion.
He said President Zardari and Asfandyar Wali should tell masses who were being killed in these drone attacks. Had they identified these people whether they were Pakistanis or foreign militants, he asked.
He said it was responsibility of the government to protect their citizens but the incumbent rulers seemed failed to take steps in this regard.
Imran further remarked that Asfandyar Wali had promised with nation that they would not allow anyone to shed the blood of Pakhtoons. But now for the sake of few dollars, Imran said, Zardari and Asfand had struck a deal with the US to shed the blood of the innocent Pakistanis. He said apparently Asfand was condemning the drone attacks but actually he was backing the drone strikes.
He strongly deplored the US drone strikes on the tribal areas saying nation wanted to quit the alliance with Western powers in war against terrorism. He said his party would lead a peace caravan to Waziristan in last week of September to meet the relatives of innocent families, who had lost their loved ones in drone attacks. “We will raise voice against the unauthorised drone campaign at every forum,” he maintained.
Imran said PTI’s tsunami would go to Islamabad if President Zardari tried to take any step against Supreme Court. He said government had failed to address the key issues faced by the country. Unemployment, price hike, corruption were rampant but the rulers were busy in filling their pockets, he maintained.
The party’s central leader, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and others also addressed the rally and condemned the restoration of Nato supplies to allied forces in Afghanistan.
They said the incumbent rulers had broken all records of corruption. They said PTI would frame independent and sovereign policies after assuming power and that would benefit the country and masses.
Meanwhile, strict security arrangements were made around the venue where thousands of PTI activist were present despite scorching heat.
Apart from Peshawar workers of PTI, people from far-flung districts also participated enthusiastically. Wavering party flags they were chanting slogans against the rulers.