Who Are Pakistan’s Westernized Extremists?

I may not have liked his politics but I know that Governor Salman Taseer was not a blasphemer and that clergymen misled our religious-minded people into believing Mr. Taseer was a blasphemer which probably resulted in a 26-year-old man committing a heinous crime that even Muslim law does not condone.

By Ahmed Quraishi

I accused two vocal minorities in Pakistan of killing Taseer. One is the fringe religious extremists. And the other fringe, the westernized extremists.

People are free to be westernized or religious. I have no problem with either. My problem is with extremists from both groups. The westernized extremists venture out to ridicule religion, and the religious extremists take an easy and tolerant religion like Islam and deform it into something unheard of in Muslim history.

I discussed this in detail in my column, Taseer’s Real Killers: Two Extremist Pakistani Minorities, which was published by The News International.

In that column, I compared the passionate debate in Pakistan over the anti-blasphemy law to the American national debate between liberals and religious conservatives on abortion a few years ago. And I condemned how some American and British commentators and government officials tried to link an internal Pakistani debate to the war in Afghanistan, two completely different things. [Some American and British commentators tried to justify the failed war in Afghanistan by suggesting that that war is about Muslim-secular divide.]

Some Pakistani liberals emailed me protesting the use of the term westernized extremists. They said westernized Pakistanis are not violent as some religious extremists are like the man who assassinated Mr. Taseer.

My answer is: liberals and religious Pakistanis are not violent. Only the extremists among them are. It is true that a westernized extremist may not carry a weapon, but when he tries to eliminate a substantial and legitimate segment of religious Pakistanis, he or she is setting off a chain reaction that is bound to turn violent at some stage because religion is involved. Respect must be shown in this debate.

The following is how I briefly profiled a westernized Pakistani extremist:

We know who religious extremists are, those who go to extremes not sanctioned by our Prophet PBUH.

Now we should also know the westernized extremists, these are people who ridicule their compatriots who are religious, make fun of religion, don’t understand that to be liberal doesn’t mean that you oppose religion or oppose the right of another Pakistani to be religious. A westernized extremist is someone who can’t differentiate between opposing extremism and opposing religion, who thinks to be a liberal is to go to war with anyone who has a religious mind and heart. A westernized extremist is someone like Sherry who is right in wanting to amend or repeal the blasphemy law but she is NOT RIGHT in saying death should not be a legal pubishment for blasphemy. She not right because this penalty is part of the Islamic legal jurisprudence and part of Pakistani laws even without the blasphemy law, and so she doesn’t have the right to single-handedly decide if it’s right or wrong.

It ok if you want to be westernized or religious, just don’t go to extremes and divide Pakistanis along religious vs. secular, etc. We have more urgent problems in this country than these ‘imported debates’. They are imported because some western writers start this debate and some of our own buy it and think that’s all what we should be debating.

India Fomenting Terror In Pakistan’s Largest City, Karachi

Karachi is an Indian target. Attacks on religious shrines, especially Sufi shrines, are foreign-instigated and aim at starting a civil war in the country, exploiting tensions on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. India is arming and funding anti-Pakistani fighters and distributing anti-Pakistan literature in Balochistan and the tribal belt.

MOHAMMAD ALMEZEL | Managing Editor Reporting | Gulf News
WWW.PAKNATIONALISTS.COM

As security officials try to gather forensic evidence at the scene of yet another terrorist attack in Pakistan’s largest city Karachi, intelligence and military officials pointed the finger of blame at neighbouring India.

The Tuesday suicide attack on a police vehicle on Karachi’s main highway left three dead, including two policemen. No one claimed responsibility for the attack but security officers in the city told the local media they were certain that “foreign hands” were behind the attack.

But in interviews with Gulf News in Islamabad shortly before the attack, senior Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) and army officials accused India of attempts to “destabilise Pakistan” by supporting, by “funds and arms”, militant groups in Karachi, the economic hub of the country.

Fomenting  Sedition

Karachi has been the scene of dozens of attacks and target killings over the past few years. Pakistani officials say the attacks, especially those on religious shrines, aimed at “fomenting sedition among religious communities” to destabilise the country.

“India is playing a dangerous game” in Karachi, a top ISI official told Gulf News on condition of anonymity. He said his agency has “evidence” that Indian intelligence service was arming and funding “extremist elements” to weaken their Muslim neighbour.

“People are getting money from India to create problems for Pakistan in Karachi” and other areas, he stressed.

A senior army official told Gulf News that India realises that the Pakistani army is “over-stretched” because of the extensive anti-terror operations in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), the provinces that border Afghanistan. “Therefore, they support elements that wage terrorist war on our urban cities,” the senior officer said.

Relations between the two neighbours have been strained and talks stalled since the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008 which killed more than 160 people, including foreign tourists.

India alleged that the attackers were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the banned Pakistan-based militant organisation.

Another Pakistani ISI official, speaking to Gulf News said he believed the Mumbai attackers belonged to a splinter group, which left the main Lashkar-e-Taiba after the latter stopped anti-Indian actions in Kashmir under pressure from Islamabad.

The foreign ministers of the two countries are expected to meet in two months in Delhi but a senior Indian official told the Pakistani media yesterday that Delhi “doesn’t expect a breakthrough” in the proposed talks.

“There is a trust deficit between India and Pakistan,” Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama said.

“However, I’m sure things would move ahead,” after the talks. Pakistan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Nawabzada Malek Ahmad Khan told Gulf News that Islamabad was interested in real talks with Delhi.

“We hope to see some breakthrough. Our engagement with India is not for mere handshake or photo sessions. It is a very serious issue.”

Concerned

He added that Pakistan was “concerned over India’s involvement in Afghanistan,” hinting that India was “using Afghan soil to destabilise Pakistan and support anti-Pakistan movements” in Pakistan.

A military official said India is being suspected of arming and funding extremists elements and even distributing anti-Pakistan hate literature in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan.

The senior ISI official said his agency had sent 10 requests to the Indian intelligence service for a meeting between the heads of the two agencies but the Indian side refused every one of them.

“We told them we can both put all our cards on the table and try to address all issues,” he explained. He said the offers were sent through “friendly” countries including the US, the UK and Gulf states.

“India should learn a lesson that it will be the most affected country if Pakistan is destabilised,” the official said. “They should look inward and tackle terrorism issues within their own country.”

Published by the Gulf News

 

American Shooter is Black Water Professional

 

American Kills 2 Pakistanis – In Self Defence? REALLY?

An American man shot dead two Pakistanis in a street in Lahore city on Thursday. The US citizen told police officials that he fired his pistol in self defence. “The American national told us he was driving his vehicle and stopped at a traffic signal. He saw motorcycle riders and one pulled out a pistol. The man told us he then pulled out his pistol and fired in self-defence,” Lahore police chief Aslam Tarin told AFP.

“He’s an American national. He’s in our custody and we are investigating.” A third Pakistani man was killed a short time later when a car from the US consulate in Lahore hit two pedestrians at the scene of the shooting, Tarin added.

“One person died in the accident,” Tarin said. Television footage showed that a crowd had gathered at the scene of the incidents, setting tyres on fire in protest.
The US embassy in Islamabad confirmed the man involved was a consular official.

“We can confirm he’s a consular employee, but we don’t know exactly what happened. There’s a lot of speculation and we’re speaking with the police to find out exactly what happened,” US embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez told AFP.

Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif has ordered Inspector General (IG) Punjab to submit a report on the incident. By AFP / Express

 

Shireen Mazari Launches A Workshop To Explain New Threats To Pakistan’s Nuclear Policy

There is a strange silence in the Pakistani capital on new US-mounted nuclear pressures, but Pakistani diplomats and nuclear experts are speaking up where the Pakistani state is silent.

GULPARI NAZISH MEHSUD | WWW.PAKNATIONALISTS.COM

There are new pressures on Pakistan to limit its ability to maintain a credible nuclear deterrence. These pressures are coming from the Conference on Disarmament, or CD as it is known, that opens today in Geneva. The United States is working on two tracks. One is to induct India into the Nuclear Suppliers Group and end the last barrier that stops India from procuring nuclear technology and material in the open market. And two, use international treaties to force Pakistan to freeze Pakistani nukes at their current size and potential.

While US officials use public diplomacy to send messages through Radio Pakistan and other arms of the pro-US government in Islamabad claiming Washington has no interest in targeting the Pakistani nuclear program, US actions speak louder about the actual US policy toward Pakistan’s strategic capabilities.

The Pakistani government is maintaining a strange silence on the new pressures on its nuclear capabilities. Other departments of the government that shape Pakistan’s nuclear policy, like the Nuclear Command Authority, are also silent apparently in deference to the incumbent government.

To break this silence, a Pakistani nuclear expert Dr. Shireen Mazari took the initiative to sensitize the Pakistani media about the new developments in Geneva. She organized a one-day closed-door briefing for senior Pakistani journalists. Over eight hours, participants were briefed about the new pressures on Pakistani diplomacy on the country’s nuclear program. The workshop covered Pakistan’s position on a new treaty, called FMCT, that would stop Islamabad from developing material needed to build nuclear weapons, a treaty that Islamabad is resisting for the time being. Participants also went through the evidence-based record of India in nuclear proliferation which belies Washington’s claims that India has a clean proliferation record.

But Dr. Mazari is not alone. Ambassador Zamir Akram has told CD that Pakistan does not accept the US-led tilt in favor of India on nuclear technology. In Islamabad, an eminent former top diplomat of Pakistan, former foreign minister Mr. Inam-ul-Haq, joined in conducting the workshop. Strategic Technology Resource, which organized the workshop and is headed by Dr. Mazari, plans to offer Pakistani legislators similar exposure to position them to understand government policy.

The diplomatic correspondent of The News Mariana Baabar wrote an excellent report on the workshop and on Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts in Geneva. The report is reproduced below:

Pakistan Not Interested In Disarmament Conference
By Mariana Baabar

As the Conference on Disarmament (CD), the world’s sole multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations, holds the first public plenary of its 2011 session on Tuesday (January 25) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, how well informed is the civilian government, political parties, parliamentarians and the civil society in Pakistan?

Traditionally, it is the National Command Authority (NCA), a military dominated and controlled organisation set up by Pervez Musharraf, which is responsible for ‘policy formulation and the exercise of employment and development control over all strategic nuclear forces and strategic organisations’.

There is neither any interest nor debate on strategic matters in our nuclear state. The last time loud public voices were heard in support to test a nuclear device, completely drowning out those who were against the nuclear test.

Normally, mere statements are issued by the ISPR, NCA and the Foreign Office, while some experts do respond to queries of journalists. Worse, this highly complex and specialised field remains in the domain of the military, though heading it is the prime minister and a clutch of federal ministers, who are quite satisfied with their symbolic presence and have never opted to inform the parliament on Pakistan’s position.

To change this mindset and allow transparency and space for debate, the Strategic Technology Resource (STR), a recently set up organisation, held a one day workshop, ‘Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and Beyond’, to familiarise journalists on co-related issues like CTBT, FMCT and other issues.

It’s CEO Dr Shireen Mazari and former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Inamul Haq who explained why 2011 would be a difficult year for Pakistan when pressure will be increased specially wtih regard to FMCT.

The speakers underlined fears that like in the past, the United States could take the FMCT out of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the United Nations, as it became frustrated with its present slow pace.

The NCA’s stand on FMCT is that ‘Pakistan’s position will be determined by its national security interests and the objectives of strategic stability in South Asia. Selective and discriminatory measures that perpetuate regional instability, in any form and manner, derogate from the objectives of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and; therefore, cannot be accepted or endorsed. Pakistan will not support any approach or measure that is prejudicial to its legitimate national security interests’.

Mazari called for the policymakers to take a consistent stand on issues unlike in the past. She also said today’s environment called for Pakistan’s specific thinking on strategic issues and not necessarily linked to India as had been the norm.

“I will like our media to be aware and knowledgeable enough to respond to the debate in the international media on these issues, specially when it pertains to Pakistan, instead of dutifully publishing western reports,” she added.

A media kit was distributed which contained interesting facts and figures. Included were authentic reports on India’s proliferation record, Japan’s nuclear doublespeak, a letter written by Pakistan’s permanent representative in Vienna to member states of IAEA and copies of statements delivered by Ambassador Zamir Akram at a past Conference on Disarmament.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will address the conference on Wednesday. According to the UN, like in previous years, the items on the agenda of the conference in 2011 will be cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament; prevention of nuclear war, including all related matters; prevention of an arms race in outer space; effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear weapon states against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons; new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons, radiological weapons; comprehensive programme of disarmament; transparency in armaments; and consideration and adoption of the annual report and any other report, as appropriate, to the General Assembly of the United Nations.

 

Pakistan Catches Indian Spy, Indian Embassy Involved In Espionage

Interrogations with the arrested Indian spy have shed some light on covert Indian spy networks inside Pakistan. New information includes leads on Indian intelligence priorities in the region, which are focused on putting pressure on Pakistan and ISI through fake terror acts that could also destroy peace talks between India and Pakistan.

THE DAILY MAIL – Paknationalist

Pakistani security officials have foiled an attempt by the Indian intelligence to enact a fake terror act on the ceasefire line in Kashmir to implicate Pakistan in terrorism.

The plan was unearthed when a suspect working for the Indian intelligence was apprehended in Sialkot border area while attempting to cross over to India through the border security fence; an impregnable barbed wire obstacle whose entrance points are locked and controlled by the Indian Border Security Force. The suspect has confessed to working as an Indian spy who was tasked to recruit agents from Pakistan to work for Indian intelligence.

More evidence of how India is deeply involved in staging fake terror incidents to implicate Pakistan. A probe into recent bombings in India has proven it. In this case, an Indian spy tried to cross into the Indian side.

The suspect whose name has been withheld for security reasons disclosed that his Indian handlers, Mr. Sharma and Mr. Amjad, had tasked him to recruit a Pakistani national by offering a large monetary reward, preferably carrying a weapon and send him across the border through the border barbed wire fence after informing the BSF troops. Mr. Sharma had assured him that all the details of border crossing would be finalized by him and duly taken care off at his end. The suspect also disclosed that the Indian Intelligence had planned a fake encounter to kill the border crosser and exploit the episode as proof of terrorists launched by ISI crossing over from Pakistan to commit acts of terrorism in India. He also said that he had held a few meetings with his Indian handlers in Islamabad as well.

This arrest has pulled the lid off Indian spying networks in Pakistan and the existence of Indian agents or Pakistanis recruited by Indians.

Interrogations with the Indian spy and other evidence reveal the current priority of Indian spies in the region. They are focused on organizing terror acts that can be easily blamed on Pakistan and ISI. Indian spies want to see terror acts that resound in the media and could help avert any attempt to restore talks between Pakistan and India over Kashmir. With the possibility of a secretary level interaction emerging on the sidelines of a SAARC meeting in Thimpu Bhutan in the first week of February, India should be interested in a few fake terror acts that could show the flow of terrorists from Pakistan that would strengthen its position to format any future discussions centered on terrorism rather than finding ways to tackle the core issue of Kashmir.

The episode also points to the involvement of Indian undercover agents stationed in its Islamabad embassy, engaging in espionage activities in grave violation of their diplomatic status.

Report published by The Daily Mail of Pakistan.

 

A Final Blow to ‘Aman ki Asha’

Rizwan Khan – Pakistan Cyber Force

A lot discussion has been done whether Pakistan should have friendly relation with ENDia or not. This confusion has been created a couple of years ago by a secular Channel which is commonly known as JEW TV. This Channel is the perfect example of hypocrites, following the footsteps of Abdullah Bin Ubbay . On one hand they show movies like ‘The Message’ and ‘Lion of the Dessert:Omer Mukhtar’ while on the other hand they show pure nudity and vulgarity in the form of IIFA and STARDUST award ceremonies. They spread atheism through their pretentious planted MULLAH named Ghamdi. But today I want to vanquish this absurd discussion by presenting some historic events and, in the end we will decide whether this self-proclaimed concept is really ‘Aman Ki Asha’ or it is actually ‘Atangvaad ki Asha’ (Atangvaad is a Hindi word meaning terrorism). One can clearly understand the hindu mindset after reading the Chapter “Pakistan ka matlab Kya?” of Shahabnama. In the very chapter, Shahab sahab has openly revealed the thinking of a common Hindu and their antagonist attitude towards muslims.

The Top Secret Document:

Once Shahab sahib’s eyes went through a top secret document of Congress. He instantly visited QUAID and handed over the document to him. All the congress appointment-holder were instructed to carry-out the following tasks:

Partition of India has been finalized, so the congress Chief Ministers should remove all muslims from important posts especially in Home Department, Finance Department and Press Department. The in charge of all the police stations should be Hindu. All Muslims should be posted to posts which are least important. All the ammunition, should be taken back from Muslim sepoys and they should be handed over minor tasks. All the weapon licenses of Muslims should be canceled and the weapons should be confiscated by the Police. Gandhi’s motto of ‘Adam Tashaddud’ (No Violence) was torn into pieces by his party workers or may be by himself.

The Crook Gandhi:
The ‘’Quit India Movement’’ is shown by the Indian media as the most valorous as of Gandhi but actually Mr. Gandhi launched this movement when the British Forces were constantly facing defeats in World War 2, but as soon as they started having the triumph of the War, Gandhi extended the hand of re-conciliation towards them Quaid-e-Azam. Gandhi raised the motto of “To God or to Anarchy” and just after 2 years, he violates his own motto.

The Direct Action Day Bloodshed:
On 16 August 1946, Muslim League called for direct action day, when all the re-conciliation and government making plans failed. In Calcutta, that day was a scene of doomsday. As the Muslims were returning to their homes, the Hindus attacked them with lethal weapons. Thousands of Muslims were killed in the streets of Calcutta that day. While the Hindu press presented this event as if they are the most innocent creatures on earth. A true and dignified Muslim can never forget the brutal killing on 16th August 1946!!

The Bihar’s Tyranny:
After Calcutta, it was Bihar’s turn. In Bihar Muslims were out-numbered by the Hindus by a big percentage, they were killed ruthlessly. According to Official estimates, more than 8000 Muslims were martyred but the original figure is still unknown. Dozens of mosques were destroyed, several girls jumped into the wells to save their dignity. Muslims were burnt alive. Children were killed by hammering nails into their foreheads and limbs. After Bihar, it was U.P’s turn. Many Muslims gathered in an annual fare, in which millions took part. Suddenly, some Hindus attacked the fare and killed all the Muslims with immense brutality.

The Savage Sikhs:
The cruelty of the Sikhs in the partition is quite visual in most of the Pakistani telefilms and T.V Dramas. The latest Example was “Dastaan” in which the girl BANO is kept by Sikhs for 5 years before she runs away, all her relatives were killed by the Sikhs. But this is not even 1% of the brutality of Sikhs. Everyone knows that the independence trains used to reach Pakistan full of blood and slaughtered bodies of Innocent Muslims. The Sikhs celebrated their first Independence Day in a very unique way. They forcefully brought Muslim women in the town to the streets, removed their clothes, raped then in Public and burnt them alive.

After all the above mentioned incidents, I ask whether a normal human being would extend a hand of friendship towards such people? Mr. Jeem, They killed my brothers, they hammered the children in their foreheads, they raped my sisters and mothers, they burnt them alive, they slaughtered them and you tell me to make them friends!!! Do you think I am mad? Do you think I am a retard? Is the blood of my brothers, sisters, mothers and children so cheap? Is the dignity of my nation so worthless? Will I not answer Aaqa (s.a.w.w) in the hereafter? I think you should zip your filthy mouth Mr. Jeem. We cannot forget the bloodshed, the cruelty, the brutality and the tyranny. We certainly still remember the cries of our motherts, shrieks of our helpless sisters and tears of our innocent children! We do not intend to take revenge, the way they did, since our Aaqa s.a.w has taught to forgive. But we will definitely rescue our helpless brother Sisters. Now the readers can decide whether it is “Aman ki Asha” or it is “Atangvaad ki Asha”

Agarcha buth hain jama’at k aasteeno mai,
mujey hai hukm-e-azaan La ilaha Ilallah

Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmay Rassoul should be warned in Islamabad

The Afghan foreign minister Mr. Zalmai Rassoul will arrive in Islamabad next week for discussion on issues relating to the American withdrawal. Afghan Pakistan relations have improved a lot, thanks to Turkish intervention. the main issues to be discussed are regional security, the US pullout plan and reconciliation with the Afghan National Resistance (ANR).

When the Bharati Foreign Minister visited Kabul a couple of weeks ago Krishna and Rassoul discussed the issue of terrorism and that they agreed on the need to deal “firmly with terrorist groups that continue to exist outside Afghanistan‘s borders.”

This sort of nonsense has to be stopped in the tracks. Mr. Zalmai Rassoul has to be told in no uncertain terms that by making Anti-Pakistan statements he was playing with fire, and that such inane talk is not conducive to good neighborly relations.

Hundreds of terrorists come from Afghanistan into Pakistan. Afghanistan hosts Baloch terrorists, Iranian terrorists and every other scoundrel on earth. Millions of Afghan Refugees have squatted in Pakistan for decades and don’t want to leave. Bharat has no role in Afghanistan and should be evicted. Delhi’s Anti-Pakistan activities have to be stopped–and stopped now.

Both Rassoul and the Pakistan Foreign Minister Mr. Mahmoud Qureshi will head out to Washington next month for crucial talks on the US withdrawal plans in July. Mr. Rassoul, who is due on January 25, will hold detailed discussions with Pakistan’s President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister the General Kayani. The topics of discussion will be to create a joint strategy for the joint Pakistan, Afghanistan and US trilateral meeting convened in Washington to seek an end to America’s longest war that has entered its 10th year. Mr. Rassoul should be clearly told that he cannot hope to build better relations with Islamabad if he continues to bad mouth Pakistan.

 

Pakistan Set For Extradition Request For Two Indian Terrorists

The two, one Hindu clergyman and the other a serving officer of the Indian military intelligence, killed more than 60 Pakistani goodwill visitors who were on a peace mission to India in 2007.

THE DAILY MAIL

The Pakistan government is all set to demand handing over of at least two prime accused of Samjhota Express train terror attack, well placed official sources revealed to The Daily Mail in Islamabad.

The sources said that Pakistan has decided to launch a formal demand to New Delhi for handing over of prime accused Swami Aseemanad and Lieutenant Colonel Srikanth Purohit.

The sources say that since Swami has confessed his crime and Colonel Purohit was proven guilty by the slain Joint Commissioner of Mumbai’s Police’s Anti Terrorism Squad Hemant Karkare, there appears to be no reason for Pakistan not to seek the custody of the two terrorists for further interrogation.

“They are proven guilty of killing around 70 Pakistani nationals. One of them has been proven guilty through his own confessional statement and the other was convicted by India’s own official investigations, conducted by India’s ATS team, therefore I don’t think that India should have any objection in handing over the killers of Pakistanis to Pakistani officials”, a Pakistani official said.

On the Pakistani probe into Mumbai attacks, the official said none of the accused by India has been proven guilty in a Pakistani court due to lack of evidence. Ajmal Kassab is the only person convicted in the attack by an Indian court. But he denies involvement and says his confession was taken under duress.

The case of the Indian terrorists involved in killing Pakistanis is different, the official explained.

It is important to recall that the attack on 60 Pakistanis, including women, children and elderly, occurred much before the Mumbai attacks. Indian terrorism in this case is premeditated.

Tribesmen Rally against US Drone Attacks

By AFP

Hundreds of tribesmen on Friday rallied to demand an end to US drone attacks which they said were killing innocent people in the tribal areas, witnesses said. More than 1,000 protesters staged the demonstration in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan district, shouting slogans against the United States and its Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), responsible for the missile attacks. “Killer, killer, CIA killer”, “Stop drone attacks” and “America’s friends are traitors,” shouted the crowd.

The United States does not confirm drone attacks, but its military and the Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy the unmanned aircraft in the region. In 2010 the campaign doubled missile attacks in the tribal area with around 100 drone strikes killing more than 650 people, according to an AFP tally.

Addressing Friday’s rally, a member of a local political committee, Sarfraz Khan, denounced the drone attacks for killing innocent people including women and children, and said that if it did not stop he would launch a long march to Islamabad in protest.Washington says wiping out the militant threat in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt is crucial to winning the nine-year war against the Taliban in Afghanistan and defeating al Qaeda.

Militant networks in North Waziristan are accused of escalating the nine-year war in Afghanistan and US officials want Pakistan to launch a ground offensive in the district to limit the militancy threat. Pakistan tacitly co-operates with the bombing campaign, which US officials believe has severely weakened al Qaeda’s leadership, but has stalled on launching a ground offensive in North Waziristan, saying its troops are overstretched.