Of course, we must not forget the many pronged causes of unrest and violence in Waziristan/FATA and the horrific violence from many corners affecting innocents of all ages.
Yet having followed and continued to research these concerns up until this day, I still conclude that we must do all we can to end the violence which stems from sources we are able to address. Some aspects will be different depending on each our own expertise -- while some concerns we can surely hold in common as one people world-wide.
Robert Naiman of Just Foreign Policy is one example of a calm, careful researcher and activist. Start with his reasons for joining this march here Be sure to check out his other and newer articles to see what happened when he presented the long list of signers on the petition he presented to the US Ambassador and see the rather humorous and revealing Video of the peace-makers interacting with him. He was humble if rather uninformed.
From Nation.com.pk Peace March Towards Waziristan -- Click here
Radio Interview with Imran Khan here
The PTIS Peace March to South Waziristan here
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Carefully Researched Evidence (NINE months and more than 130 Interviews)
Living with death by drone
Following nine months of intensive research—including two investigations in Pakistan, more than 130 interviews with victims, witnesses, and experts, and review of thousands of pages of documentation and media reporting—this report presents evidence of the damaging and counterproductive effects of current US drone strike policies. Based on extensive interviews with Pakistanis living in the regions directly affected, as well as humanitarian and medical workers, this report provides new and firsthand testimony about the negative impacts US policies are having on the civilians living under drones.
SEE: To Live Under Drones is the Live in Terror GO here
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From the Ground just before heading to Waziristan:
Clive Stafford Smith (see his other tweets as well)
About to set out on Drones march; good spirit among those making the trip
Mirza Shahzad Akbar@ShazadAkbar
All set for tomorrow's #StopDrones rally against all odds @CliveSSmith all geared up, @codepink fully charged to stop drones
5 Oct ?18h Clive Stafford Smith@CliveSSmith
Excellent Imran Khan piece on BBC Today this morning; http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9757000/9757510.stm … (nb would RAF shoot down drones if they kept killing Brits?)
18h Clive Stafford Smith@CliveSSmith
Amal Khan, innocent Bagram prisoner, letter: "Americans have worsened treatment. Conditions getting tougher. Pray that God grants freedom"
18h Clive Stafford Smith@CliveSSmith
Just met with 5 families of US Bagram victims; Bagram is Guantanamo's Evil Twin, 37/50 prisoners left are Pakistani, time to close it
22h Clive Stafford Smith@CliveSSmith
@ShazadAkbar on #drones on the front page of CNN http://www.cnn.com/ (bigger than Mitt Romney!)
4 OctMirza Shahzad Akbar@ShazadAkbar
'The folly of drone attacks and US strategy' http://bit.ly/PCwSXV @CliveSSmith @Jemima_Khan @suigenerisjen
4 OctMatt Seaton@mattseaton
James Jeffrey on why @CliveSSmith wrote to Obama to ask him not to kill Smith and Imran Khan by drone in Waziristan: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/04/drones-protest-march-waziristan …
4 OctClive Stafford Smith@CliveSSmith
It's been an extremely friendly welcome from Pakistan!
4 OctClive Stafford Smith@CliveSSmith
Teatime talk with TFN on Injustice and Kris Maharaj, http://www.thefundingnetwork.org.uk/news/clive-stafford-smith-speaks-at-tfn-tuesday-event-6072/ …
4 OctClive Stafford Smith@CliveSSmith
Join the Avaaz virtual version of our drones march, http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Join_the_virtual_march_against_the_US_drone_war/?bAXPibb&v=18367 …
4 comments:
Just In from Dawn.com
ISLAMABAD: Over 1,000 people who had on Saturday departed from Rawalpindi and Islamabad under the leadership of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan for the peace march toward South Waziristan had reached the Balkasar interchange.
Earlier today, the march had left Islamabad for the anti-drone march towards the northwestern tribal region.
Speaking to media representatives prior to departing for South Waziristan’s Kotkai town, Khan said the people of South Waziristan would provide security to the peace rally.
The PTI chief said he was leading the march for peace against US drone strikes and that his party’s rally should not be stopped from proceeding.
Moreover, at least 30 anti-drone campaigners from the United States were taking part in the march which began from Islamabad Saturday morning.
Khan said the government wanted to stop the peace rally but the people of South Waziristan were going to provide security to it.
He said the government’s policy on US drone attacks was dubious and that Interior Minister Rehman Malik was trying to scare people away from participating in the rally.
Khan said attempts were being made to sabotage the march, adding that, the rally was only aiming for peace and he had no intention of initiating a fight with any group...
As per the plan, the march starting from Kashmir Highway would be joined by activists from Rawalpindi, Attock and Mansehra at the motorway toll plaza.
After making a brief stopover at Balkasar interchange, the marchers would be received in Talagang, Rikhi, Mianwali, Kundian and Paharpur before reaching Dera Ismail Khan for an overnight stay.
On Sunday morning, the march would start from Tank for Kotkai in South Waziristan via Jandola and Aspikai Raghzai.
Sources in the party said that in the event of authorities intervening and stopping the march at any place a gathering would be held there.
The reports moreover said that barbed wires were being laid at Jandola’s entry points...
Dawn.com’s Sajjad Haider, who is travelling with the march, contributed to reporting
Americans in Pakistan Meet Families of Victims Obama Says Don't ExistOctober 05, 2012
Thirty-two U.S. peace activists, including 6 members of Veterans For Peace are taking part in a peace delegation to Pakistan organized by the anti-war group Code Pink.
Wednesday the delegation met with U.S. Charge d'Affaires Richard Hoagland. U.S. peace activist Robert Naiman asked about reports of secondary attacks on rescuers of drone victims. Ambassador Hoagland denied that rescuers are targeted, but not that strikes are launched on the same location just struck minutes before.
Hoagland also said that he agreed with President Obama that the number of civilian deaths was near zero, but later seemed to contradict himself when he said that number he believed was accurate was in "two digits." When asked to be more specific as to whether that number was closer to 10 or 99, he declined.
Find rest of the article here: www.veteransforpeace.org/pressroom/news/2012/10/05/americans-pakistan-meet-families-victims-obama-says-dont-exi
Participants are available for interviews by email and phone, and in-person after the trip.Veterans For Peace was founded in 1985 and has approximately 5,000 members in 150 chapters located in every U.S. state and several countries. It is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization recognized as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) by the United Nations, and is the only national veterans' organization calling for the abolishment of war.#####
www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2012/09/30/obama-drones-al-qaeda-legacy/1597973/?morestories=obinsite
Excerpt: The drone war is like a loaded gun, and the president cannot lock it in a drawer and take the key with him before leaving office this January or after a second term. When he leaves behind this drone war, he should leave with it a public explanation of what he did and what should be done.
Naureen Shah, the Op Ed writer of article excerpted is a lecturer in law at Columbia Law School and the associate director of the school's Counterterrorism and Human Rights Project. She is co-author of a study on drone strikes to be published with the Center for Civilians in Conflict.
Just take one minute to merely sign if you are able now or SOON and plz send this to at least three others...
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Join_the_virtual_march_against_the_US_drone_war/?bAXPibb&v=18367
http://oneheartforpeace.blogspot.com/2012/10/join-virtual-worldwide-march-against-us.html
(Not much in this work to get the US Killer Drones to STOP is happy but there is a great deal of satisfaction seeing the signatures from all over the world come in minute by minute, hour by hour...plz get this info/link out as far as you are able...
And be sure to see the posts I am adding above on WAZIRISTAN
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