ISLAMABAD: In response to the shocking claim by a senior outgoing Joe Biden administration official that accuses Pakistan of developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that could even allow it to target the US, Pakistan’s leading nuclear and security experts have outrightly rejected the accusation.
About the aims of Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme, the US Deputy National Security Adviser, Jon Finer, was quoted by Reuters as saying, “Candidly, it’s hard for us to see Pakistan’s actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States.”
“Pakistan has developed increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment that would enable the testing of significantly larger rocket motors,” he said while speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
If those trends continue, Finer asserted, “Pakistan will have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States.”
“Exaggerated and Politically Oriented”
Dean Faculty of Social Sciences at the Quaid-i-Azam University, and an expert on nuclear issues, Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, while speaking to “WE News English” in his remarks, said it is an exaggerated politically-oriented statement by the outgoing Biden administration official to please India’s Modi administration. “Simply, to blackmail and pressure the government,” the academic added.
Dr Jaspal, who is also the author of a book on the subject, “Nuclear Arms Control in South Asia: Politics, Postures, and Practices”, said, “Pakistan maintains a sophisticated missile arsenal to deter external aggression, which is not a violation of any international law, hence, sanctions are without any rationale.”
Diplomatic sources in Washington indicated that the deputy national security adviser’s contention may have been an attempt to ramp up pressure on Pakistan, presumably at New Delhi’s behest, Daily Dawn reported.
Lack of technical knowledge
Islamabad-based defence affairs expert Syed Muhammad Ali, while speaking with WE News English on the technical aspects, said that Pakistan’s sole objective of bringing about development in its missile progamme was India alone and not to target any country located far away. He elaborated that the purpose of the programme is to counter India’s missile defence programme, which had absolutely nothing to do with the range of a missile. Ali stated that the MIRVs could carry multiple warheads and are independently programmed.
He said that unlike Pakistan, India is not just developing ICBMs but has also conducted tests of ICBMs with a range of over 5,000km which implies India’s target is beyond China and Pakistan.
On Indian missile programme
Ali, in a post on X, stated: “Under President Donald Trump one hopes US will recover from such ridiculous policy blunders of confusing Pakistan’s MIRV equipped IRBMs designed to regionally deter India and neglecting New Delhi’s well known ambitious ICBM and SSBN programme, both of which can actually reach and target the US.”
The speech by the senior US official comes a day after fresh sanctions related to Pakistan’s ballistic missile development programme, against the National Development Complex (NDC) and three Karachi-based companies — Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International, and Rockside Enterprise.
Factually incorrect
Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi, who heads Islamabad-based, “The Center for International Strategic Studies”, while speaking to “WE News English”, said that this issue has been blown out of proportion in the US. In the first place, there is no objection to the Indian ballistic missile programme they have a bigger programme than Pakistan’s. Secondly, they are imposing sanctions on Pakistan on false assumption that the missile can reach the US.” So the comment of the US official is “factually incorrect”, the former Pakistan diplomat categorically stated.
Double standards
Pakistan’s Foreign Office earlier on Thursday, denounced the US sanctions as “biased”, and “discriminatory”. “Such double standards and discriminatory practices not only undermine the credibility of non-proliferation regimes but also endanger regional and international peace and security,” it said.
