PTI condemns questioning of chief by US officials

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf condemned the questioning and offloading of its chief by American authorities on a US bound flight at a Toronto airport.
PTI said that Chairman Imran Khan, who had been en-route to a fundraising campaign, was cast off a US bound flight at the Toronto’s Pearson Airport on Friday and questioned by American authorities.
Imran had organized a march by thousands of his supporters against US drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal regions earlier this month. The cricketer-turned-politician confirmed the incident in remarks posted on social media as the incident evoked strong condemnation in Pakistan and abroad. “I was taken off the plane and interrogated by US Immigration in Canada on my views on drones. My stance is known. Drone attacks must stop,” Imran said in a tweet from his official twitter account.
Imran had planned to proceed to New York to attend a fundraising gathering after collecting money in Canada for the upcoming elections in Pakistan, his party said. PTI said that Imran had been questioned for half an hour by US immigration authorities.
“PTI strongly condemns the offloading of Imran Khan at the Toronto airport and the questioning of his principled stand against drones,” party spokesman Shafqat Mehmood said. He demanded an apology from the US in a statement, saying that the US should respect the right of freedom of expression of others.
Pakistani media reported that the US State Department’s Spokesperson Laura Lucas had confirmed the incident, “We are aware that Imran Khan had been briefly delayed in Toronto before boarding the next flight to United States. The issue was resolved. Mr Imran is welcome in the United States.”
Imran said that the US officials had also called him a ‘supporter of Taliban’ but he responded saying that he was not against the US, he simply opposed some of its policies. In another tweet the PTI chief said that he had missed his flight and would also miss the planned fundraising event in New York.