Nawaz’ failure to get drones stopped compelled PTI to block NATO supplies: Khan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has told envoys from NATO states that his party’s government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had blocked the NATO supply lines passing through the province in line with the accord agreed upon by all political forces of the country during the all-party conference (APC) to lodge its protest against the continued drone strikes inside Pakistan which not only violated its sovereignty but also left thousands of innocent civilians dead.

“We don’t want war with the US or NATO… We appreciate the assistance provided by many of the NATO countries for the uplift of social sector in KP… but all this assistance would go down the drain if there is no peace and security in the province due to continued militant attacks,” a source in the PTI quoted Khan as telling the diplomats, who had gathered at the residence of Greek Ambassador Petros Mayroidis on Friday.

Flanked by his deputy and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Naeemul Haq, Khan told the attendees of the dinner meeting that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s failure to take up the drone issue in his meeting with US President Barack Obama had compelled his the PTI government to go to the extent of blocking the NATO supplies.

“Had the government moved on furthering the APC mandate and making it clear to the US that drones were not acceptable, the PTI would not have been compelled to take the step of halting NATO supplies through KP,” an official statement issued by the PTI media cell said.

But the source, requesting not to be named, said Khan told the envoys that his party’s action was a protest against unabated drone strikes which was their democratic right.

“We wanted to send a clear message to the US (administration) that drones are destroying the very fabric of FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which has borders with FATA on three sides,” Khan added.

The PTI leader further explained his party’s position on drone attacks, saying that the fallout of drones in FATA and KP was in the form of heightened militancy and terrorism.

“The militants take advantage of the civilian deaths in drone strikes. We have to deprive the militants of this logic which is actually breeding more terrorism… the relatives of those killed in drone strikes later join the Taliban thus raising their numbers drastically,” the source quoted Khan as telling the ambassadors.

Referring to the decisions adopted in the APC, Khan said a drone strike killing former TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud had sabotaged the peace process between the Taliban and the government.

He said his party was keeping its electoral commitments made to the people intact by blocking NATO supply line which was in accordance with the APC resolution.

“Peace in KP cannot come until drone attacks are completely stopped and a dialogue process is commenced. It is only by ending the militants’ narrative of jihad that the state can isolate the hard liners from those prepared to hold dialogue,” Khan said.

He asserted that currently KP and its people and leadership were all under immense pressure and threat. “That is why all the parties in the provincial assembly, including those who had been seen as ‘pro-war’, have passed a resolution in the KP Assembly demanding the federal government commence dialogue with the Taliban and get the drone attacks stopped,” he said.

Conceding that there were multiple types of terrorism afflicting Pakistan, Khan reiterated that the fallout of the US war and drone attacks was fuelling an already incendiary situation.

The PTI head answered all the questions and concerns of the NATO envoys while making clear that the PTI would stick to its principled position on drones, dialogue and NATO supplies.

Khan also expressed hope that the NATO envoys would convey his party’s position to the US which is also an integral member of NATO.

He reminded them that there was a national consensus against drones and the US war and it was counterproductive for the US interests also to continue with such policies.