Pakistan on Friday said it was opposed to any move by the United States to sell armed drones to India, PTI reported.
“Use of armed drones can lower the threshold for conflict, since it can encourage military misadventures,” Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria was quoted as saying by The Nation. Extra-regional powers, he said, should realise that such moves can destabilise south Asia.
Zakaria had raised similar objections in July when the US approved the sale of predator Guardian drones to India.
The Pakistani diplomat said any such sale must be closely examined under the guidelines laid out in various multilateral export control regimes, including the Missile Technology Control Regime.
Earlier this week, the administration of US President Donald Trump said it was considering India’s request for armed drones for its air force. The IAF wants to purchase about 80 to 100 General Atomics Predator C Avenger aircraft for $8 billion.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the Pakistan Army claimed it had shot down an Indian spy drone along the Line of Control in the Rakhchikri sector of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
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