President Asif Ali Zardari asked the US to give drones technology to Pakistan for boosting its indigenous capacity to eliminate the militants from its soil, as he also called for more assistance to the country. The President said this while talking to General James Jones (Retd) US National Security Advisor who called on him in the Presidency on Thursday.
The US Ambassador in Islamabad Ms Anne W. Patterson and senior officers of the National Security Agency of the US were also present on the occasion. Minister for Interior Rehman Malik Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Senator Sughra Imam, Farahnaz Ispahani, MNA and senior officials were also present in the meeting.
According to an official statement President also thanked the US administration for its efforts in the adoption of the Kerry Lugar Bill to provide 1.5 billion dollars of annual assistance to Pakistan over a period of 5 years. The President said that Pakistan needed much more assistance to rehabilitate the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and embark upon a massive socio economic development program of the area to banish poverty and thereby to the forces of militancy.
He said he was looking forward to the materialisation soon of the building of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) to help build the underdeveloped areas economically and provide jobs to the people. He also asked for international assistance to Pakistan in meeting its energy challenges. The US National Security Advisor General James Jones complimented the President for launching an effective operation against militants. He said that it was particularly helpful that the war against the militancy had broad based public and political support.