800 Pakistanis protest against US in capital

[The Northerner]

Source: Agence France-Presse

ISLAMABAD — Around 800 people poured onto the streets in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Thursday to condemn NATO and the United States over the recent killing of 24 soldiers along the Afghan border.

Lawyers, union members, traders and journalists marched up to the heavily guarded diplomatic enclave to deliver a petition to the US embassy. Only a delegation was allowed to proceed inside to the US embassy.

"It is time to say 'no more instead of do more', No to American terrorism, long live Pakistan, long live the Pakistan army, go Americans go, death to the US, Americans are dogs, NATO is a dog," shouted the protesters.

Holding up Pakistani flags, the crowd marched from the capital's main commercial Blue Area and burnt a dummy marked NATO outside parliament.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i7yfeHOfJEyrz3yc82XKbkVE1mYA

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Is there ANY justification for the drone strikes and sovereignty violations that have occurred in Pakistan?

Would any of us react differently if our country and our citizens were subjected to the same treatment?

[cosmicone]

1. When are the Pakistanis going to protest

their country's official terrorist policies in the UK, Afghanistan, India and elsewhere? It is hypocrisy at the extreme. If Pakistani military and ISI didn't foment terrorism, there would be no drone attacks.

[vminfla]

2. I recall that about 6% of Pakistans GDP was based on terrorism

If these Pakistanis would protest against their own cottage industries of terrorism, US drone strikes would not be necessary. If they want to strive for peace, strive first within their own borders.

[chrisa]

3. "Die USA terrorists die! Okay, time to go blow some infidel women and children up."

- Pakistan

[closeupready]

4. K&R

nt

[gratuitous]

5. Winning those hearts and minds

And allegations of unspecified help to "terrorists" doesn't wash any better in Pakistan than it did in Iraq. The U.S. is violating Pakistan's air space and murdering its citizens and soldiers. Indeed, we wouldn't stand for these incursions in the United States. But as long as someone can screech "Terrorists!", our exceptional American exceptionalism is given carte blanche, even by alleged liberals and progressives.

Our actions are imperial power abuse, plain and simple, and will come back against us. If you're okay dying for the right of the United States to kill people anywhere on the planet by remote control, then keep supporting these actions. I'm afraid my principles can't quite be trimmed to fit this fashion simply because the person in the White House is a Democrat.

[cosmicone]

7. Pakistanis agreed to allow us to use the base and were getting

rent for it.

We didn't violate their space. They were enjoying the money and the toys like F-16 we gave them and were actively transporting our supplies to Afghanistan from the ports of Gwadar and Karachi.

There is no oppression by the US here.

[gratuitous]

8. Ask the families of the murdered soldiers if there any oppression going on

I'm told that's an hilarious sentiment.

[cosmicone]

9. You mean the same "murdered" soldiers who were

shooting at NATO troops and protecting the Taliban? I bet their families are happy that each one of them is now with 72 virgins.

[gratuitous]

10. That's certainly the story the killers put out

I heard it a little differently from the folks on the ground. Who's telling the truth? I don't know, and I suspect you don't either. What I do know is that a whole bunch of people are dead and we killed them. Whether we can fashion an after-the-fact rationale or not remains to be seen, but the "shooting at NATO troops and protecting the Taliban" story is about the third or fourth effort so far. Color me skeptical.

[swilton]

6. War is terrorism with a bigger budget

and we're creating terrorists faster than we can kill them.