WASHINGTON: A US offer to supply Pakistan with its own fleet of surveillance drone aircraft delighted Islamabad a year ago but now threatens to turn into another source of friction between the two nations.
The offer was made by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates during a trip to Islamabad in January 2010 but talks have failed to gain traction, with Pakistan privately voicing concern about what it says are exorbitant prices and a snail-pace delivery timeline.
A US military official in Islamabad said Washington was still working with Pakistan to decide what pilotless drone system its army needed. A Pakistani official familiar with the matter denied that was the hold-up.
“It’s not because of product choice, that we’re unable to make a decision,” the Pakistani official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“The negotiations were delayed because of two issues. One is the delivery timeframe, the other is the price.”
The Pakistani official said the United States quoted a price well above market value for the surveillance drones and is stipulating that it may take up to three years for delivery.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the details of the talks but a spokeswoman said both sides were working hard to provide “the capability they need in order to be successful in this counterinsurgency effort.”
The aircraft would be delivered as quickly as possible, once a final decision is made, she said.
The disagreement comes at a delicate moment in US relations with Pakistan. Washington wants Islamabad to do more to drive Taliban militants from sanctuaries used as launchpads for attacks on US-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
