(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Supporters of Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami religious party held a sit-in in Pakistan's Gujranwala city, northwest of Punjab's provincial capital of Lahore, on Friday to demand that the government review its relations with Washington.
“I am here in this sit-in to reflect our feelings and to press upon the government to solve the basic problems of the people,” said Syed Wasim Akhter, Jamaat-e-Islami leader.
“Before 9/11 and before the presence of American forces in the region, this area was quite peaceful. There were no blasts, no bombers. As Americans came into this region, the whole region turned into such a mess,” he added.
The demonstrators also protested against the non-UN-sanctioned US drone attacks in the Asian country, and strongly criticized the Pakistani government for following what they called American policies.
US drone strikes were first launched on Pakistan under former US President George W. Bush, and have been accelerated under incumbent President Barack Obama.
The United States has so far conducted 42 drone attacks in the tribal areas of Pakistan in 2011. A record 124 drone attacks were carried out in Pakistan's tribal areas in 2010, more than double the number of predator strikes conducted in 2009. The assaults killed 1,184 people in 2010, compared to 2009's death toll of 760.
Most of the attacks took place in the North Waziristan tribal area -- a hotbed of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan and al-Qaeda-linked militants.
The use of drones has been sharply criticized both by Pakistani officials as well as international investigators including the U's Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, who said in a report in late October 2010 that the attacks undermine the rules designed to protect the right of life.
Alston also expressed his fears that the drone killings by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) would develop a "play station" mentality.
Though Washington has at times claimed it has an agreement with Islamabad about such attacks, Pakistani authorities insist there has never been such a deal and that they view the airstrikes as repeated violations of the country's sovereignty.
The missile strikes have proven “counterproductive” as large numbers of outraged residents of the border areas are beginning to support the militants, according to Pakistani officials.
"We believe that they are counter-productive and also a violation of our sovereignty," Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said in early October 2010.
"We hope that the US will revisit its policy," the spokesperson added.
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