Pakistan blocks anti-US protest in tribal region
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Buy SPH photosTANK, Pakistan (AP) - The Pakistani military blocked a convoy carrying thousands of Pakistanis and a small contingent of the United States anti-war activists from entering a lawless tribal region along the border with Afghanistan on Sunday to stage a protest against American drone strikes.
The group, led by cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan and his political party, was turned back just miles from the border of South Waziristan. After an hour of fruitless negotiations, Mr Khan announced that the caravan would backtrack to the city of Tank, about 15 kilometers away, where he was expected to make a speech to the crowd.
The convoy aimed to throw a spotlight on the drone attacks, which many Pakistanis oppose as violations of the country's sovereignty that often kill civilians.
About 150 cars had set out on Saturday from the capital Islamabad, traveled 400 kilometers and then stopped overnight in the city of Dera Ismail Khan. The plan for the second and final day was to travel another 120 km to reach Kotkai in South Waziristan. But the convoy was stopped in the town of Kawar.
