India concerned over drones sale to Pak

Amid US plans to sell drones to Pakistan, India wants assurances that such military hardware is not targeted at New Delhi.

Amid US plans to sell drones to Pakistan, India wants assurances that such military hardware is not targeted at New Delhi.

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India is understood to have conveyed to the US that military assistance to Pakistan has often been used against India. "The US has been sensitised to our concerns," a reliable source said in New Delhi.

While India has no objection to economic aid given to Islamabad, it has repeatedly opposed the sale of cutting-edge military equipment to Pakistan that have been used against India.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who has met Pakistani leaders, Friday disclosed that the US planned to supply 12 RQ-7 Shadow unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to Pakistan to aid its battle against the Taliban.

Interacting with the media, he said the US has set aside $1 billion in its Coalition Support Fund to provide weapons and equipment to Pakistan for the war against terror. The drones would be part of this package.

The Shadow UAVs will help build the Pakistan Army's capacity for intelligence gathering, he said. It is not clear whether there would be conditions attached to the sale of these drones specifying their use only in Taliban areas.