People of Waziristan and other tribal areas should be brought into the national mainstream and including them in peace process for ending the war against terror, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference, he said: "I repeat it once again that they [tribal people] should be made part of peace process as they are patriotic citizens of this country...I'm sure you cannot achieve peace without their participation."
He maintained that the impression should be negated that Pakistan was fighting a war against terrorism by taking money from the US. This war, he said, had isolated the country both economically and diplomatically. When asked why he was against a military assault in Waziristan against militants, he said: "Dozens of innocent people are being killed everyday in Karachi but do you think we should attack them with bombs? Is this the only solution to win a war?"
"There is a dire need to end the bloodshed of innocent people as enough is enough and we must find out a way out of winning this war to put the country back on the track of peace and prosperity," he said. Commenting on alleged threats from Taliban in case of his Waziristan rally, he said that he planned to hold a long march just for the sake of peace as innocent people are being killed more than the militants. "We want to convey to the people living across the length and breadth of tribal areas that we do not want them to suffer more losses, as they have already suffered a lot in the past", he maintained.
He said that PTI was the only political party that was planning to hold a rally in Waziristan on September 23. "We're going there to show the people that we really feel their pain and care for them," he said. He said that a large number of people would participate in the PTI rally in Waziristan and a list of those joining its peace caravan would be provided to the media after the route of the rally was finalised.
He said that women from across the world, including the US, would take part in the rally, as they had lost their sons in this war. The proposed rally, he said, would send a very clear message across the world that the peace-loving people of this area wanted peace.