Eurasia Press & News
Pakistan closed border with Afghanistan in the country’s northwest on Saturday ahead of protest against the American drone strikes, official sources said.
Thousands of people will begin a protest sit-in on the main supply route in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, later on Saturday.
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PIT) or Justice Movement, which rules the province, has announced to close the supply line for NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan as part of its anti-drones protest strategy.
The cricket-turned politician, Imran Khan, who leads PTI, said the protest will continue unless the U.S. stops drone strikes.
Protest rallies outside the U.S. embassy and UN mission in Islamabad have also been planned in the coming days, spokesman for the provincial government, Shah Farman, has said.
The authorities closed the main border point of Torkham with Afghanistan ahead of the protest over security concerns, officials said. It is one of the two main border points used for NATO supplies.
Officials say nearly 70 percent of supplies for thousands of foreigner troops are transported through Pakistan, the cheapest and shortest route.
The police in Peshawar Saturday morning blocked “Ring Road,” the route NATO containers use to head to Afghanistan, for all kind of traffic hours ahead of the protest rally.
