Protesters in Lahore Speak Out Against Drones

Hafiz Saeed, head of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa organisation and founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, (2nd R) addresses supporters during a protest against U.S. drone attacks in the Pakistani tribal region, in Lahore, Nov. 29, 2013.

Hundreds of people took to the streets in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore to protest against U.S. drone strikes and to support the blocking of NATO supply lines.

The protest was staged by the Defense of Pakistan Council, an alliance of religious and right-wing political parties.

Protestors chanted "any friend of American is a traitor" and "stop NATO supply" while burning an effigy of President Barack Obama.

Other demonstrators held signs reading "Drones fly, children die, shoot down drones, let peace prevail."

The Pakistan government publicly criticizes drone strikes as a violation of sovereignty, but the U.S. sees them as a highly effective tool in the fight against Islamist militancy.