Pakistan, which is home to endless lethal drone strikes conducted by the US, has decided to carry armed drones of its own, according to officials in Islamabad.
Pakistani defense officials made the announcement during a large arms fair in Karachi saying it will now have drones for both surveillance and combat purposes, communicating to allies, such as Turkey, that it can be "self-sufficient in a technology that is revolutionizing warfare," the Guardian reports.
Pakistani officials told attendees that their military has developed a drone, which "has the capability to carry a weapon payload," though it is not yet as powerful US drones, such as the Predator, which have killed of thousands of people in Pakistan.
Until recently drone production was monopolized by a small group of powerful countries, predominantly the US and Israel.
"The foreign delegates were quite excited by what Pakistan has achieved," said the official, who was closely involved with organizing the four-day International Defense Exhibition.