BALKASSAR, Pakistan: Pakistani cricket star turned politician Imran Khan led supporters and Western activists to Pakistan's tribal belt yesterday to protest against US drone strikes.

Khan and his Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) or Movement for Justice party, along with British and US activists, set off from Islamabad in a giant convoy to drive around 440 kilometers (270 miles) to South Waziristan.

The authorities say the Taleban intend to attack the rally and foreigners will not be allowed to enter the tribal belt on the Afghan border, considered a Taleban and Al-Qaeda stronghold, making it unclear how far they will get.

Missiles fired by US drones routinely target militants in the semi-autonomous area in what US officials say is a key weapon in the war on terror.

Khan, who has regularly condemned the US-led war on terror, says he wants to show the world the damage inflicted on innocent people by the drone campaign.

But critics accuse the former cricketer of blatant electioneering ahead of polls next year and of ignoring both atrocities blamed on militants and abuses by the Pakistani army.

Over the last year, Khan has become a growing force in politics, challenging the feudal and industrial elites who traditionally dominate in Pakistan, but there is skepticism about his ability to translate popularity into seats.

At Balkassar toll plaza near Chakwal, hundreds of supporters carrying green and red PTI banners gathered in hot sunshine to welcome Khan and the convoy of around 100 jeeps, buses and cars.

Party workers in green T-shirts — a reference to Khan's inspirational talk to Pakistan before their 1992 World Cup victory — formed a human chain round his 4x4 to clear a path through a scrum of media and wellwishers.

Akhtar Syal, 63, from Sarghoda in Punjab, told AFP he had joined the protest because drones were destroying lives.

Khan was accompanied by US anti-drone campaigners from the group Code Pink and the British head of legal lobby organization Reprieve, Clive Stafford Smith.

The PTI plans to continue to Kotkai village today in South Waziristan to hold a demonstration.

Pakistani Taleban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan put out a statement on the eve of the march, denying reports that they had promised to provide Khan with security.

The umbrella faction said it had no need for “sympathy” from a “secular and liberal person” trying to increase his political stature.

Although leaked US cables have revealed tacit support for the drone strikes from Pakistan's military and civilian leaders, Islamabad has increasingly condemned the program as relations with Washington have deteriorated.