PESHAWAR, Dec 15: Coalition parties in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government have vowed to continue the sit-in protest against Nato supplies till the drone strikes are permanently stopped.

The announcement was made by leaders of all the three parties in the government during a rally at Ring Road, Hayatabad, here on Sunday. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf provincial general secretary Khalid Masood, Jamaat-i-Islami provincial amir Prof Mohammad Ibrahim and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad leader Biland Khan spoke on the occasion.

Expressing commitment of his party, Mr Masood said that the PTI had started the protest from Nov 23 after cogent thinking and it would continue unless the drone attacks were permanently stopped. He said that it was not a routine protest of a union of employees, but a firm stand of three coalition partners on a serious issue of national interest.

Criticising the federal government, he said that the PTI would not succumb to pressure to end the sit-in protest because the three parties had taken a firm stand to get the objectives.

He said that America could not be a friend of Pakistan because it had always dodged the nation in the hour of need and supported its opponents. Referring to the destruction and loss of lives in the war on terror, he said that innocent people were killed mercilessly in Waziristan Agency. He said that on the one hand the US was beating the drums of human rights, on the other it had been killing people, including women and children, in Pakistani territories. He said that the entire world had understood the dual standard of the US and it could no more dodge the people in the name of human rights.

Mr Masood said that the federal government should say goodbye to the war of others and take tangible steps for restoration of peace in the country.

Prof Ibrahim appreciated the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for their consistent stand to continue the protest against Nato supplies and said that the workers were ready to remain active till end of the drones strikes.

“The coalition partners have taken a firm stand not to allow the Nato containers,” he said.

Biland Khan said that it was their principled stand to force the US to end the drone strikes.

Several other leaders and members of national and provincial assemblies, including Engineer Hamidul Haq, Sajid Nawaz, Younus Zaheer, Fayaz Khalil, Mukaram Khan Afridi, Bahrullah Khan, Israrullah Khan and Kashif Azam were also present on the occasion.