Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were on the verge of making history on Monday as they attempted to lead a maiden political rally in the countrys restive South Waziristan region, since US drone began attacks there.
Although the rally did not make it into the tribal area, it has managed to bring the recognition that drone attacks are illegal and immoral, to the forefront in Western media.
The irony is that the episode is being downplayed in local media. Across the board, more coverage was given to a kilometer-long protest march by the MQM in the peaceful elitist area of Clifton; along with yet another rally by the religious-political party, Jamaat-e-Islami. By comparison, the convoy of thousands moving from Islamabad to South Waziristan over a period of 15 hours appeared paltry in local media.
According to a recent poll, 83 percent of Americans support drones against terrorist suspects overseas while 97 percent of Pakistanis oppose them. The paradox is that media approach on PTI cause was contrary to the popular image in both the countries. This opens an alternate thinking avenue within the West on the barbaric drone attacks.
This premise is supported by a recent study "Living under drones" from New York and Stanford Universities. These human right researchers have negated the narrative that drones attacks in Pakistan are surgical, precise and effective. Instead, they found that the drone attacks have further fueled anti-US sentiments in Pakistan.
This research based on 130 interviews asserts that barely two percent of victims of drone attacks were known militants while the overwhelming majority of those killed, injured, maimed and handicapped were innocent civilians. Independent researches put the number of drone-related deaths over 3,000, including 175 children.
The question is whether this should be challenged in the international courts? The legal standing in Pakistan is gray, the government has not authorised United States to carry out these strikes, yet media reports abound that some form of cooperation exists between the CIA and the ISI.
US-based anti-war group Code Pink joined Khans rally, adding to the attraction for international media outlets.
Clive Stafford Smith, the British head of the legal lobby group, Reprieve, said whether the group reached its intended destination was irrelevant.
"Its already a wonderful success," he said adding, "It doesn matter what happens from here on. Weve generated a huge amount of publicity not just in Pakistan but across the world."
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