Washington: The United States is thinking providing drone aircrafts to Pakistan for aerial surveillance despite tensions between the two countries over measures to combat terrorist activity, a US official said Friday.
The plan being mulled would provide several dozen of the small Raven aircrafts–with a wingspan of just 1.4 meters–equipped with cameras but the aircrafts would be without the capability of firing missiles, unlike the Predator or Reaper aircraft used by U.S. forces.
The plans for the drones “are under consideration,” a US official said on condition of anonymity.
Captain Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman, said no final decision has been made.
“We are in discussions with our Pakistani partners about their requirements to continue the ongoing counterinsurgency campaign, but it would be premature for us to discuss specific equipment before any decisions have been made and before a contract is in place,” James said.
The discussions on drones comes amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Washington after a fatal shooting by Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor, in Lahore inflamed a row between the US and Pakistan over intelligence sharing and raised tensions over the controversial US drone war.
Pakistan is a key ally of US in the war in Afghanistan. But spy missile strikes targeting militants in Pakistan’s northwest region, provoking anti-American sentiment throughout the South Asian nation.
Pakistan has demanded US that stop drone attacks and slash the number of CIA agents on its soil, while US officials say operations will continue in order to prevent more attacks by Al-Qaeda-linked militants on the US.
Pakistani Ambassador to Washington Husain Haqqani declined to discuss details of talks on drones but said he saw progress in the longtime sticking point in relations.
“Pakistan has always maintained that civilian casualties resulting from the activities of Predator drones have not been very conducive and feed a narrative that does not help our partnership,” he said.
“We’ve been negotiating and working on finding ways whereby the Pakistani military’s own capabilities will be enhanced,” he said.
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