Pakistan

Gilani calls for transfer of US drone technology

Prime Minister says drone strikes increasing problems for Pakistan, country should use drones to take out targets.

Express December 26, 2010

MULTAN: Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Sunday said drone strikes were increasing problems for the government and it was trying to convince the United States (US) to hand over the technology to Pakistan.

Speaking to the media in Multan, the prime minister said that drone strikes were counterproductive and that the country needed the technology to take out the targets itself. He said that militant strongholds had been dismantled and the militants were now going for ‘soft targets’.

Documents released by Wikileaks on December 1 revealed that Gilani had allowed drone strikes in the tribal areas, saying they would protest the attacks in the National Assembly and then ignore them. When Interior Minister Rehman Malik advised the US to hold off “alleged Predator attacks until after the Bajaur operation”, Gilani brushed off the remarks saying:

“I don’t care if they do it as long as they get the right people. We’ll protest in the National Assembly and then ignore it.”

The statements were reportedly made during meetings with unnamed US officials in August 2008.

COMMENTS (2)

Maria | 13 years ago | Reply Technology is not a genie that can be put in a bottle. Look at India; they took western gifted nuclear technology and built nuclear weapons creating an arms race in South Asia until they were shown Pakistan's ability to match them. No one says anything about Indian aggression and copying of foreign technology for weapons. Pakistan must push for drone technology to help protect her own borders.

Cautious | 13 years ago | Reply Anything that prevents you from using your air force or army? A country which sells nuclear technology to N Korea, Libya, and Iran should never be trusted with technology that it could turn around and sell.

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