Pakistani authorities stop convoy of protestors
Pakistani authorities stopped 2,000-strong convoy of protestors heading for the scene of a US missile attack, an official said today.
They were heading to Damadola to protest against the airstrike that killed 13 people there in a failed attempt to target al-Qaida’s No.2 man. Hundreds of armed tribal policemen erected barricades and told the protesters to return.
“We have instructions from the government that these political leaders should not be allowed to go Bajur,” said Mohammed Jamil, the region’s top government official.
There were no immediate reports of violence but the supporters chanted slogans against Washington and the federal government.
Protesters stopped in front of the police line and began chanting “Down with America!” and “Down with Musharraf!” – in reference to Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a close ally in Washington's 'war on terror'.
Bajur is the tribal region where the remote hamlet of Damadola is located. Pakistani officials have said al-Qaida operatives gathered in Damadola on January 13 when it was attacked by the US.
Earlier, a provincial assembly in north-western Pakistan demanded the expulsion of the US ambassador to Islamabad over the incident.
Politicians in the provincial capital of Peshawar unanimously passed a resolution calling for Ambassador Ryan Crocker to be expelled.
It also condemned the attack and demanded an apology from the US for the destruction of three homes in Damadola.
The resolution is unlikely to move the federal government to accept such a demand.
