ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday said that three tribes of Waziristan had shown their willingness to welcome his party’s peace rally in the region and a 30-member delegation from the US had reached Islamabad to participate in the rally.
Addressing a press conference, Khan said 30 people, including civil society members and parents of US Army soldiers were in the delegation. They will go along with the PTI to South Waziristan, he added. Accompanied by Anne Wright, a former US Army colonel and former US ambassador, who is leading the delegation, Khan said the tribal leaders had also assured the security of the rally. He complained that the government was not issuing visas to the foreign journalists and human rights activists who wanted to attend the rally.
Head of the US delegation, Anne Wright, resigned from army when US started war against Iraq in March 2003. Now she is an antiwar activist and a member of the US civil society organisation working for peace in the world.
She said drone attacks were against principles of human rights and the delegation was attending the rally to register its protest against the attacks. She said, “We came from US for this historic march against drone attacks. We also went the places in US from where the drones are operated and we registered our protest. We are also protesting US war policies and we are telling you that US people are also against these attacks. We want to say to you that we Americans are protesting against US government and we request you to raise protest against your government.”
The PTI chairman also appreciated the steps she had taken for her solidarity with Pakistan.
Khan said the people who were against PTI’s peace rally did not want peace. He accused the government of not issuing visas to foreign journalists and human rights activists who were willing to attend the rally. “The government on the one side is protesting against drone while on the other not allowing foreign journalists to participate in this march. If the government is sincere and wants that drones should be stopped, they should allow the foreign journalists,” he added.
Meanwhile, explaining the route of the rally, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the march would start from Islamabad’s Blue Area and would proceed towards Balkasar, Talagang, Mianwali and DI Khan on October 6. On October 7, the rally would gather at Tank and then head towards South Waziristan, where a public meeting would be held at Kot Kai, he added.
