Imran Khan sets off on Pakistan rally against US drone attacks
Peace convoy protesting about America's use of missiles in war on terror heads for Pakistan's tribal belt despite reported Taliban threat of attacks
Cricket star turned politician Imran Khan led supporters and Western activists on a much-publicised rally to Pakistan's tribal belt yesterday to protest against US drone strikes - even as a Pakistani Taliban faction warned suicide bombers would stop the demonstration.
Khan and his Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) or Movement for Justice party, along with British and US activists, set off from Islamabad in a giant convoy to drive around 440 kilometres to South Waziristan.
The authorities say the Taliban intends to attack the rally and that foreigners will not be allowed to enter the tribal belt on the Afghan border, considered a Taliban and al-Qaeda stronghold, making it unclear how far they will get.
Missiles fired by US drones routinely target militants in the semi-autonomous area. Peace campaigners condemn the strikes as a violation of international law. Pakistanis say they are a violation of sovereignty that breeds extremism. Politicians, including Khan, say the strikes are a sign of a government complicit in killing its own people.
"This is a peace march, an effort for peace in Pakistan on our part ... We are not going to fight anyone," Khan said as the motorcade of about 150 vehicles set off.
Khan, who has regularly condemned the US-led war on terror, says he wants to show the world the damage inflicted on innocent people by the drone campaign. "The collateral damage - people's women and children getting killed - have created militants and multiplied militants," he said.