LAHORE: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan vowed Saturday to block Nato supplies from crossing through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in response to the US drone strike that killed Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud and 'sabotaged' peace talks.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is one of two key routes Nato supplies move in and out of Afghanistan and is seen as crucial as US-led allied forces prepare to drawdown from the war-torn country in 2014.

Opposition parties in Pakistan have accused the US of using the drone strike to stymie the peace process before talks proper had even started.

Khan, whose party leads the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said: “Even if we lose our provincial government, we will not let Nato supplies pass through as long as drone strikes do not stop.”

He was speaking at a news conference in the eastern city of Lahore after a meeting of the party’s central committee.

He said the all parties’ conference had decided to pursue the path of peace talks, and that the Taliban had only put forth the condition of halting drone attacks.

Commending the interior minister, he said Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had brought the government to a stage where the peace dialogue process could be taken forward.

“This drone strike has sabotaged the dialogue process. It has proved that they (the Americans) do not want peace in Pakistan,” said the cricketer-turned-politician.

Urging all political parties to unite “in this defining moment”, Khan said that their party would pass a ‘unanimous’ resolution in the KP assembly on Monday. He said the party would also raise the matter of stopping Nato supplies in Parliament on Monday.

Other political parties have also condemned Friday’s drone strike.

Jan Achakzai, spokesman for the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) religious party whose head Fazlur Rehman is helping government in contacts with Taliban, also condemned the drone strike.

“It is a setback for a peace camp in Pakistan. The drone attack has been carried out a time when there was an enabling environment for peace talks and despite the Americans saying they supported the internal reconciliations,” he said earlier.

Opinion

Editorial

Balochistan tragedy
Updated 26 May, 2026

Balochistan tragedy

The state keeps reiterating the role of hostile foreign actors in fomenting unrest, yet seems to be short on ideas on how to prevent the ingress of such actors and their ideologies in Baloch society.
Economic engagement
26 May, 2026

Economic engagement

AN array of investment MoUs valued at $7bn signed during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s China visit signifies...
Flotilla abuse
26 May, 2026

Flotilla abuse

THE testimonies that have emerged from international activists, who were part of a Gaza-bound flotilla, paint a...
In chains
Updated 25 May, 2026

In chains

THE question should never be about who is at the receiving end at any given point in time: an assault on an...
Climate shocks
25 May, 2026

Climate shocks

THE latest State Bank report documenting recurring climatic disasters in Pakistan during the period between 2000 and...
Justice deferred
25 May, 2026

Justice deferred

PAKISTAN’S courts are quick to remind the public that justice takes time. Increasingly, however, it is the conduct...