: Pakistan would rather have technical expertise with which it can combat the militants on its border with Afghanistan than have the US fire missiles into Pakistani territory, Pak ambassador in Washington argued in an interview.

“The government of Pakistan has repeatedly said that we would like to have the capability to be able to identify and take out targets on ground,” Ambassador Husain Haqqani told the National Public Radio. Pakistan , he stressed, prefers to do everything on the Pakistani side of the border itself. “And the reason is very simple, we have a military capability in certain areas and in some areas, we lack certain technical capabilities and we would like that technical capabilities for ourselves.”

The Pakistanis are committed to fighting the militants in the Afghan border region but it is unfair to characterize Pakistan as a base for the Al-Qaeda-linked elements, since the militants straddle both sides of the porous and challenging border, he clarified.

The radio noted that the Pakistani public opinion against the US missile strikes by unmanned drones is high. Although the strikes have killed several top militant leaders, the civilian casualties have also been claimed. Haqqani said that the US and Pakistani governments understand the need to deal with those who pose a threat to the global peace and security but called for understanding Islamabad ‘s concerns on the sensitive issue of drone strikes. “You must also understand that when you have unmanned aerial vehicles drop missiles, taking out people, and it infuriates public opinion, then obviously the Pakistani government has to stand by Pakistani public opinion.” “I think we have a shared frustration that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda move between the mountainous regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan and manage to have the support of some of the people living there,” Haqqani replied to a question.