According to the official reports, the United States will supplement its multi-billion dollar aid package to Pakistan with a series of powerful new weapons, including smart bombs, to help Islamabad crackdown on its growing militant groups.

Further security assistance to Islamabad was pledged by secretary of State Hillary Clinton and secretary of Defense Robert Gates in recent weeks, in addition to the 7.5 billion dollars in aid over five years that the US Congress approved to fund infrastructure and education projects.

Apart from 18 F-16 fighter jets and a dozen surveillance drones built in the United States, Pakistan will assume control of laser-driven "smart bomb" technology that will maximize the government's ability to strike and demolish remote targets.

A military official has confirmed that Pakistan has also sought unmanned attack drones, but the US has unequivocally declined those requests.

It was also noted that the move has raised concerns in India, where government officials fear that Pakistan will utilize the weapons not to fight terrorist groups, but in a future confrontation with its decades-long rival to the east. New Delhi's skepticisms are well-grounded as Pakistan has in previous years used US aid to militarize on its Indian border.

According to the local sources, the Obama administration has a complex relationship with Islamabad, having already carried out dozens of drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas that have incurred hundreds of civilian casualties. The latest weapons transfer is seen as a quid-pro-quo for the US to continue waging those attacks, which have been met with considerable disdain by the Pakistani people. (With Inputs from Agencies)