Pakistani tribesmen rally against US drone strikes

Around 2,000 Pakistani tribesmen led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan protested outside parliament today to demand the immediate halting of US drone strikes, claiming they kill more civilians than militants.

Tribesmen from North Waziristan tribal region and workers of Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party marched on a key road leading to parliament house and shouted slogans against the US.

The protestors carried banners and placards that denounced the missile strikes by spy aircraft in the tribal belt and described the CIA's drone campaign as a violation of international laws.

Khan, who has launched a concerted drive to prepare his fledgling party for the 2013 general election, told the rally that the drone strikes and military operations are creating and strengthening militants in the tribal regions.

Many people join militant groups to avenge those who are killed in drone strikes or military operations.

"The US drone strikes and Pakistani military operations have turned the tribal regions into a factory for militants," he claimed.

The tribesmen could deal with the militants if Pakistan did not fight the "US war" he contended.

The CIA has continued its drone campaign against the backdrop of stepped up pressure on Pakistan from the US administration to crack down on al-Qaeda-linked militant groups like the Haqqani network.