PESHAWAR: Anti-Americanism is rearing its head again as religious groups and parties held protest rallies in different towns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas on Friday against the last month’s US drone attack in Balochistan that killed Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour.

Difa-i-Pakistan Council (DPC), a syndicate of religious groups, staged a protest rally at Saddar Bazaar, Peshawar, after Friday congregation. A handful of workers of DPC assembled at Fawara Chowk and proceeded to the Peshawar Press Club.

Carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans condemning drone strikes, the protesters chanted slogans against the US. A banner reads: “Muslims will bury joint conspiracies of the US and India against Pakistan.”

Rallies held in KP, Fata against Balochistan drone strike

Mohammad Iqbal, a leader of DPC, said that America was patronising India to destabilise security in South Asia. He said that India, America and Israel were hatching a conspiracy to create instability in Pakistan and urged that Pakistan, other Muslim countries and China should work out a joint defence policy. He said that America wanted to make India “policeman” in the region.

In Lakki Marwat, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl activists held a protest demonstration in the city on Friday against drone attack in Balochistan. The protesters led by JUI-F district chief Maulana Abdul Rahim gathered at Qazi Ishfaq Shaheed Chowk where they chanted slogans against the US.

They also carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans condemning the drone attack. Interestingly, participants of the rally also raised slogans against Wapda for excessive loadshedding in Ramazan.

Speaking on the occasion, that JUI-F leaders said that drone attack in which Mullah Mansour was killed had sabotaged the peace process initiated by Pakistan to bring Taliban and Afghanistan government leaders on a table.

They alleged that America was using drone attacks as a tool to disrupt the peace process and sabotage Pakistan’s efforts to ensure sustainable peace in the region.

“The drone strikes are a direct attack on our sovereignty and such acts of air space violation are intolerable for the nation,” they maintained. They asked the government to adopt a clear policy on the issue of drone attacks.

In Karak, the JUI-F workers also took out a protest procession against the Noshki drone attack and termed it against the sovereignty of the country. The procession led by district councillor Maulana Mirzaqeem was taken out from Peer Odeen Shah Mosque and marched to Saddam Chowk where it turned into a public gathering.

In Parachinar, the elders held a rally to record their protest against the drone strike. The protesters marched on the streets and chanted slogans against America. The elders demanded boycott of American products and urged the government to take serious steps to prevent drone attacks in future.

A protest rally was also held in Bajaur Agency where scores of workers of political and religious parties, traders and tribesmen participated in it. The rally was jointly organised by Jamaat-i-Islami, JUI-F and PML-N.

The speakers strongly condemned the US drone strike in Balochistan on May 21 which killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour. They said that the US drone strike had not only violated the sovereignty of Pakistan, but it was also a clear violation of the international laws.

They termed the attack in Balochistan a part of US conspiracy to defame Pakistan in international community.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2016