US, UK Train Pakistanis For Crackdown

American and British advisors are training Pakistani mercenaries, preparing them to be deployed in the UAE to crack down on protesters in the Persian Gulf country.

Amid growing concerns over a potential uprising in the United Arab Emirates, the Persian Gulf state has decided to recruit Pakistani mercenaries.

The move is part of pre-emptive measures the UAE is taking in the wake of popular revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa, informed sources said on Sunday.

The Pakistani recruits, according to the sources, are being trained by American and British advisors who are also on the payroll of the UAE army.

The mercenaries will join the army to quell riots and suppress street demonstrations.

According to some analysts, Islamabad has played a pivotal role in the crackdown on Bahraini protesters and has provided Manama with military and security assistance.

The UAE’s dispatch of humanitarian aid to Pakistan’s Baluchistan region is said to be part of the state’s effort to woo Pakistani youth to join the UAE army.

Earlier in March, a large group of activists, including academics and former legislators, urged the Persian Gulf state to implement political reforms, including “free elections by all citizens in the method of universal suffrage.”

The call coincides with popular anti-government protests in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan as well as revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt.

In recent weeks, the UAE security forces have arrested a large number of bloggers and opposition leaders across the nation.