Sources said now the
matter remains between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, which had taken
Shamsi base for hunting of Bustard, in 1992. Later, it was handed over to CIA.
Sources said, Pakistan and
the UAE will shortly discuss the matter on various levels to resolve the issue.
The US shifted its drone
operation bases from Shamsi to Afghanistan, sources told Arab News. The
decision by the US came as domestic pressure in Pakistan gained momentum
against presence of the bases in the country.
Earlier, Defense Minister
Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar's had said that the US had been asked to vacate Shamsi
Air Base.
According to the sources,
the CIA, which has been using Shamsi Air Base in Pakistan since 2004, had to
develop other sources, largely based in Afghanistan, to carry out its drone
operations targeting Al-Qaeda and its affiliates are allegedly using
sanctuaries in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Pakistan had asked US to
vacate Shamsi Air Base shortly after the arrest of CIA operative Raymond Davis,
and since then CIA is primarily using Afghan soil to execute its drone
operations, the sources said.
