Soon, Italian drones, ‘made in Pakistan’

September 30th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has said Islamabad would not allow US drones to carry out strikes in Balochistan. Kayani, who was attending the 28th Tripartite Commission, which consists of senior military representatives from Pakistan and Afghanistan, told the military leaders that Pakistan does not support the US view regarding the targeting of militants inside Pakistan's boundary.

September 10th, 2009 LONDON - : Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has urged the United States to hand over the unmanned drone aircrafts to Pakistan so that it could carry out the offensive against the extremists on its own rather than relying on foreign countries. In an interview with a private television channel, Musharraf said the war against terrorism was not only in Washington's interest but in the interest of Islamabad also.

August 21st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has started production of indigenous unmanned aircrafts commonly known as drones from its leading aeronautical factory in Kamra in Punjab province. The Pakistani version of drone called Falco is being produced in collaboration with an Italian company at the Kamra based Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), the Daily Times reports.

August 20th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has commenced production of drone planes in the country in collaboration with an Italian company, TV reports said Thursday. The pilotless aircraft, called Falco UAV, is being produced at the country's Kamra aeronautical complex in collaboration with the Italian firm Selex Galileo, GEO TV said.

August 14th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Parliamentary Committee on National Security has termed the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud's elimination as a 'positive' development, but has criticized the use of US drones inside the territory. "Although the killing of Baitullah Mehsud is positive in overall context of the war on terror, it cannot justify the US drone attacks inside Pakistan," committee chairman Mian Raza Rabbani said.

July 22nd, 2009 PARIS - Pakistan has once again slammed the United States for the continued drone attacks on the 'lawless' tribal region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. In an interview to a French television channel, Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said the whole country is against the drone strikes which has killed more civilians than the extremists.

July 6th, 2009 LONDON - Britain's most senior Law Lord, until last year, Lord Bingham has said the usage of unmanned drones as weapons of war is beyond the pale of human tolerance. In an interview with the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, Lord Bingham compared drones, which have killed hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Gaza, with cluster bombs and landmines.

June 25th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - With the Pakistan Army announcing an all out war against the Tehrik-e-Taliban chief, Baitullah Mehsud, in the South Waziristan region, US drones are also conducting regular sorties of the region primarily to keep a track of the terrorist' activities, something that has left Pakistan fuming. At least two US Predator aircrafts were seen prowling over the TTP chief's stronghold region on Wednesday, The Daily Times reports.

June 16th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States has urged Washington to respect Pakistan's sovereignty and not cause civilian casualties while launching drone against Al Qaeda leaders in its tribal regions. "There is no doubt that the drones have eliminated many top Al Qaeda terrorists.

May 29th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has said that it is capable of shooting down US Predator aircrafts operating inside its geographical territory, but fears that such a step could ignite a war between both the countries. Talking to media persons on the sidelines of the passing out parade at the Risalpur Air Force Academy, Pakistan Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said PAF is capable or shooting down US drones, but the final decision in this regard rests with the government and Parliament.

May 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - : A key US lawmaker has criticized Pakistan for maintaining a double faced commitment over the US drone strikes inside its geographical territory with condemning the attacks publicly and approving them privately. Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin said Pakistan must publicly admit that it supports the drone strikes being carried out against the Taliban and other extremists in the lawless tribal region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

May 14th, 2009 LONDON - Pakistan has asked the United States to hand over the 'ownership' and not only 'control' of the drones operating inside its territory. Referring to Washington's decision to give Islamabad control over the drone strikes in the tribal regions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said such 'half measures' would be of no use.

May 14th, 2009 LONDON - A day after media reports claimed Pakistan has allowed US drones to fly inside its geographical territory to carry out strikes against the Taliban and other extremist groups, US defence officials have refuted the accounts. Terming the Los Angeles Times report as 'grossly inaccurate', a senior defense official at Central Command said the idea of the U.S.

May 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Taking its relationship with Pakistan on the use of drones a step further, the United States, has for the first time, provided Islamabad surveillance information, including sensitive border photographs collected by the drones. The information includes real-time video feeds and communications intercepts gleaned by unmanned Predator aircrafts, The New York Times reports.

May 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a significant move, Pakistan for the first time 'officially' has allowed US Predator drone aircrafts to fly inside its geographical territory to carry out missile strikes against the Taliban and other extremist groups. Under the new partnership, U.S.