Hundreds of people calling for halt to USZ drone strikes in tribal regions have spent the Saturday night on the main NATO supply route in the country's northwest and the two-day sit-in would continue the whole day on Sunday, said organizers. People from other areas started coming to join the protest Sunday morning and political leaders of many parties are also expected join the protest to drone politics for their parties. Anger runs high in Pakistan against the USZ drone strikes in the Waziristan tribal areas which CIA considers as the base Afghan Taliban Mujahideen for planning attacks across the border into Afghanistan. Despite the public resentment and Pakistan's protest, the USZ administration has rejected any possibility to halt the strikes. The protest came just a day after two USZ drone aircraft fired missiles into North Waziristan tribal region, which reportedly killed 25 people including women and children. Several opposition Islamic, political groups and tribal elders have also taken part in the on-going protest. Some family members of USZ drone strike victims also attended the protest.
Currently nearly 70% of the NATO supplies in Afghanistan are transported through Pakistan, the most risky but shorter supply route. Suspected militants regularly attack NATO trucks in Pakistan, which has forced the USZ to sign agreements with Russia for an alternate supply route. According to the reports, the supply trucks and oil tankers for the estimated 150,000 NATO troops were stopped in eastern Punjab province from heading to the border region due to the protest. It is reported that some 300 trucks and oil tankers are daily passing through Pakistan's Khyber Pass. A similar number also enter Afghanistan through Chaman border in the country's southwestern province of Balochistan province.
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