Alwaght- Pakistan’s Air Force (PAF) commander has ordered his force to take down drones that enter the country's airspace including those of the US.
“We will not allow anyone to violate our airspace,” The Times of India cited Pakistan's Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman as saying on Thursday, adding, that he has ordered the PAF “to shoot down drones, including those of the US, if they enter our airspace, violating the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Pakistan had repeatedly condemned US drone strikes on its soil but had never threatened to shoot its unmanned aerial vehicles down.
Aman also recalled a historic breach of trust incident over a batch of US-made F-16's which Pakistan paid for, but never received. The jabs against America, a key ally, came Thursday in a speech Aman delivered at a ceremony of aviation students gathered in Islamabad. The top military official praised Pakistan’s air prowess, saying their forces are prepared to defend sovereignty of the country.
“We committed a mistake in Osama bin Laden's case but now the country’s sovereignty will be protected at all costs,” he told an audience at the AirTech 17 expo at the Air University. Aman was referring to the CIA-led US commando raid in May 2011, which involved a cross-border flight of Black Hawk helicopters from Jalalabad, Afghanistan to Abbottabad, Pakistan. The Pakistanis were not informed about the planned assassination beforehand, which sparked outrage in the country.
The US flies drone missions over Pakistan and conducts airstrikes on suspected militants in the turbulent tribal area on the border with Afghanistan. The practice has prompted outrage amongst Pakistanis because of the high death toll it effects on civilians.
