Pakistan provincial assembly calls for end to drone attacks

Islamabad: Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's assembly bordering Afghanistan unanimously passed a resolution on Monday calling for an end to US drone attacks in the country's tribal areas.

The resolution urged the federal government to summon the American ambassador to protest intrusions into Pakistani territory and demand a halt to the drone strikes.

A political party, Tehreek-e-Insaaf of Imran Khan, has planned a two-day sit-in outside Peshawar, capital of the northwestern province, on Saturday and Sunday to block supply convoys ferrying goods to Afghanistan for Nato troops, in protest at drone raids.

Several, tribal elders have said their people would join the protest by the party of former cricket-hero-turned politician, a strong critic of what he calls Pakistan government's sub-service to US and its agenda in the region.

The Awami National Party (ANP), which Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has expressed support to a US-sponsored peace process with Afghan Taliban.

ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan told the media that use of military means was no more an effective way of resolving political issues.

Call for dialogue

While backing a US-backed peace process in Afghanistan, the ANP chief welcomed the Pakistan-Afghanistan accord to take the dialogue process forward through a joint commission decided during Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's visit to Kabul three days ago.

He said his party had always supported dialogue with ‘saner elements' among the Taliban for the sake of regional stability.

The ANP leader criticised the US drone attacks, saying innocent tribesmen were also killed in these raids, which he said were counter-productive.

US officials have reportedly ruled out a halt to drone attacks, following a meeting between chiefs of CIA and ISI in the US during which the issue was discussed.