The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Monday submitted a memorandum of protest to the US consulate in Peshawar against recent missile strikes in Hangu, a settled area of the province. A group of lawmakers from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly headed by provincial Senior Minister Sirajul Haq marched from the Chief Minister House to US Consulate in Peshawar.
The authorities did not allow the delegation to go inside the consulate but a senior consulate officer met the delegation outside and received a four-page protest memorandum against the US drone strikes in Hangu. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information, Shah Farman, provincial ministers Ali Amin Gundapur, Atif Khan, Inayatullah, Sharam Tarkai, Chief Minister Adviser, Jamsheduddin, Yasin Khalil, Javed Naseem Arif Yousaf, also accompanied with the marchers.
Amid slogans of Allah-o-Akbar (God is great), and Pakistan Zindabad, the marchers gathered outside the US Consulate Peshawar, the provincial lawmakers announced a protest sit-in to be held outside the Parliament in the next phase of the PTI's anti-missile strike campaign.
Talking to media persons, KP Minister for Information Shah Farman said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Legislative Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution on November 4, asking the federal government to take steps for ending of the US missiles attacks, otherwise the provincial government and allies parties, would take decision by their own. This was first step by following the resolution of KP Assembly, after which the protest memorandum would also be presented to the US embassy and UN offices in Islamabad, he added, moreover, a sit-in would be staged in front of Parliament House.
'Pakistan wants only peace and stability, and the entire nation agreed upon it, while the region is not in a position to wage war," the KP information minister said. He asked the United States to immediate end drone attacks in Pakistan and termed the attacks war-crimes.
He further asked the America that the issue was very serious and complex, saying that the incumbent government would react against the attacks and take every step to end missile strikes and would not remain silent like former rulers.
KP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq said the drone strikes against the sovereignty of the country and violation of UN charter. He said that in a unanimous resolution, we demand US to end the strikes forthwith, and would not tolerate more attacks on the motherland.
"We would stage protests against the US drone strikes outside the Parliament House, Prime Minister House, and UN offices," he said.
Sirajul Haq observed that innocent civilians were killed in the missile attacks and termed the Hangu drone strike like as attack on Islamabad and Peshawar.
He demanded of the government to expedite the peace negotiation process with Taliban.
Sharam Tarkai while speaking on the occasion said it was our democratic right to protest against the attack, which are against the sovereignty and territorial integrity.