Chairman PTI Imran Khan along with Chief minister K-P Pervez Khattak talking to media. PHOTO: ONLINE
ISLAMABAD:
After rallying in the streets of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will be holding a protest demonstration in the federal capital and in front of the parliament house at D-Chowk today (Thursday).
The party will also submit a petition against the drone attacks in the National Assembly on Thursday, the first day of the lower house’s seventh session. The party had perhaps waited for the NA session to file such a petition, as it has no representation in the Senate, which has been in session since December 2.
The US suspended its shipments of military hardware out of Afghanistan via the Torkham border for the safety of truck drivers amid the PTI’s ongoing blockade of Nato supplies. After this, the party now plans to take its protest against drone attacks up a few notches, leading to the decision of submitting a petition.
Accompanied by a select group of MNAs, K-P Chief Minister Parvez Khattak will go to the National Assembly Speaker’s chamber where parliamentary leaders including Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will receive the petition, as per the plan. A statement issued by the party said that the CM would present the petition to the interior minister and the leader of the opposition, the Pakistan Peoples Party’s Syed Khursheed Shah.
PTI Secretary Information Dr Shireen Mazari claimed the US decision to suspend the ground shipments as a ‘tactical success’. “However, the strategic success will come when the US commits to stop drone attacks on Pakistan.”
Criticising the government over its stance on the US drone campaign, she said, “It has become abundantly clear that the Nawaz government has arrived at a covert deal on drones with the US in the same manner as its predecessors had.”
Dr Mazari said the impact of PTI’s protest had been admitted by Pentagon’s spokesman Mark Wight who conceded that the protest had affected outgoing ground shipments of equipment and other goods from US units on Afghan soil.
Earlier on November 24, the PTI blocked the NATO supply route in Peshawar after inviting all political parties to join their protest against the drone attack in which Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud was killed.
Both the government and the opposition benches shared a common thought that the attack had scuttled the peace process with the Taliban, but the PTI was advised not to ‘fly solo’ in blocking the Nato supply route.
In response, the party still went for the blockade and its chief, Imran Khan, has now vowed to continue the protest until the drone strikes come to a halt.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2013.
COMMENTS (15)
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Its very useful information .....very good site Thanks for posting.
@Saqlain, Can't help but agree with you. PTI Representives have claimed it on Talk Show's that this protest is a party policy, NOT an act or policy of the government; It was decided in party CEC meeting that party will adopt it and not the government and both collation partners AJI & JI, also agreed to adhere to the same.
This TWO FACE'd politics has to end. IK has always been vocal of stating that "Politicans must speak truth to public". She should start first by himself.
@Omer Akram: And what makes you think investment or support will come once you're declared a state sponsor of terrorism for letting terrorists use your land territory for terrorism against your own country and others? Please wake up! Please stop out of the nativity IK preaches. If you want to stop drone attacks please give out a strategy for eliminating or punishing the terrorists in the tribal agencies (and no making peace with terrorists isn't a strategy). That would be a real step for stopping drone attacks. And if you can't then please step aside and don't try to indoctrinate the public with your confusion.
@rabia: So people gave them votes and those 35 seats just so that they can come out on the road and protest? That's what PTI did before too so I guess giving them seats didn't do any good. Getting fed up of this PTI which is part of the very system they love to ridicule to gain popularity.
Glad to see PTI acting after recemendation made by MQM QeT Altaf Hussain bhai to campaing / protest against institutions rather than blocking routes.
@Mirza, of course we can, why not get out and do it, don't always expect others to do it for you.
@Mamu: Mustafa Kamal is only braving it out to save his own Butt!...theres a huge difference between fighting for oneself n fighting for others!
@Mirza: PTI protest against Inflation and price hike is on 22nd Dec in Lahore!...appreciate all good bro..!
@Mirza: You mean a campaign on internet?or in real world? i think you are as human as IK or any one else so why not you start it? or all that you know is criticism for the sake of it? grow up..if you cannot do anything positive yourself, stop criticizing others who are braving it out there in the real world...
@Raheel: I believe NADRA chief will be todays topic of discussion in parliament. Since he stands restored at present no need for any protest now.
If we stop the drones terrorists will have no soft corner that innocents are killed by Americans. Which America & PML-N led ill-literate leaders are least concerned. Playing with the institutions for the sake of personal interests, like Army,PIA & now NADRA.
Can we ever have a campaign against poverty, hunger, diseases, illiteracy, Polio, and terrorists? Or all our campaigns are for the rights of fanatic terrorists and their lives not for the lives of poor Pakistanis!
Amazing mind work by PTI. It should be holding rally in front of the parliament in support of NADRA chief and efforts to uncover mass election rigging when the iron is red hot