With the Pakistan army using armed drones to provide the Taliban more firepower in the offensive against the National Resistant Front in the Panjshir Valley, the issue of this new aerial weapon in Islamabad’s arsenal has come to the fore. 

Pakistani officials have gone into damage-control mode in the face of severe criticism and started downplaying the country’s drone capabilities although earlier they used to brag about their arsenal.

While Pakistan has a domestically manufactured drone called Burraq it has also acquired longer-range drones with the help of Turkey and China.

The Burraq drone has the capability of carrying air-to-surface laser-guided missiles.

Pakistan has in fact boasted in the past that it has been using these drones against militants operating in its own territory, in the North Waziristan tribal region.

The Burraq drone was designed and developed by the National Engineering and Scientific Commission in Pakistan and has also been displayed at military parades in Islamabad. 

There have also been reports that Pakistan has acquired longer-range drones with the help of Turkey and China.

Last year, there were reports that Pakistan had bought the Chinese-made Wing Loong II, which according to a BBC investigation was also used by the UAE in the civil war in Libya.

Pakistan is reported to have acquired Chinese-made CH-4 drones, which can be used both for intelligence gathering and for attacks.

These drones are also being used by Saudi Arabia in its strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

According to the reputed defence journal Janes Defence Weekly there are two types of CH-4 drones. The CH-4A, is mainly meant for surveillance and can stay in the air for about 30 hours. The armed variant is the CH-4B, which can carry up to 345 kg of explosives, but has a shorter maximum flight duration of 14 hours.

In addition, Pakistan has a Shahpar 2 drone that can fly for up to 14 hours, and which can also be armed.

Besides,  Pakistan has smaller drones that it often uses for sending explosives, small arms and drugs across the Indian border to various terror groups. Some of these have also been shot down by Indian defence forces. 

Also read: Taliban goes for the kill in Panjshir with ISI Chief in command