The American Predator is a hi-tech, pilotless drone the CIA uses for attacks inside Pakistan's territory from the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan. They claim to have information about prospective meetings of Al-Qaeda/Taliban terrorists in the FATA area which are gathered through satellite images and sensitive gadgets installed on the ground. There has also been an agreement between US, Afghanistan and Pakistan to share the information that leads the security forces to conduct operations on their respective sides. This obviously gives an understanding that the operations would only be conducted by respective countries keeping in view the sanctity of their sovereignty. Despite that understanding, the drone attacks continue to be conducted in Pakistani territory, thus, challenging our sovereignty while threatening the security environment inside our borders. Americans claim this is all being done under an agreement with the previous Musharraf government. Pakistani government and its foreign office officials deny that story and term the drone attacks as the US action that is especially hampering Pakistan's efforts to counter militancy. The question is why doesn't the US trust Pakistan enough to provide these same drones, and other hi-tech weapons, to Pakistan? Does it fear they could be used against the Americans? -AMMARAH MALIK, Islamabad, via e-mail, January 30.