A march against the US drone strikes in Pakistan led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan was on Sunday stopped by the Army on the edge of the nations lawless tribal belt due to fears of a possible militant attacks on the rallyists,which also included American anti-war activists.
A motorcade of scores of vehicles was turned back by the Army just a few kilometres from the boundary of volatile South Waziristan Agency,forcing the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf PTI chief to cancel his plans to address a gathering at Kotkai village in the tribal region.
Khan then led his supporters back to Tank,a town in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province,where he contended that the march had succeeded in creating international awareness about the countrys opposition to CIA-operated drones.
We want to give a message to America that the more you carry out drone attacks,the more people will hate you, he told his supporters.
In a message posted on Twitter,Khan said he was told by the army that there was serious danger ahead on the path to the tribal belt. Did not want to risk lives and turned back, he said.
US issues advisory on travel in Islamabad
WASHINGTON: Americans in Pakistans capital Islamabad are being warned to stay away from government buildings and several major hotels in the city because of a terror threat. The US Embassy in Islamabad on Sunday cited a general threat alert from Pakistans Ministry Interior that warned of terrorist attacks aimed at certain government buildings downtown and several hotels and motels popular with visitors,including the Marriott,Holiday Inn,Best Western and the Margalla Motel. AP