Pakistan denounces US sanctions on its missile programme as biased

Pakistan on Thursday denounced new US sanctions on the country's ballistic missile programme as "discriminatory” that put the region's peace and security at risk.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry warned in a statement that the sanctions "have dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond.” It also cast doubt on US allegations that targeted businesses were involved in weapons proliferation because previous sanctions "were based on mere doubts and suspicion without any evidence whatsoever.”

It also accused the US of "double standards” for waiving licensing requirements for advanced military technology to other countries.

The sanctions freeze any US property belonging to the targeted businesses and bar Americans from doing business with them.

The US State Department said one such sanctioned entity, the Islamabad-based National Development Complex worked to acquire items for developing Pakistan’s long range ballistic missile programme that includes the SHAHEEN series of ballistic missiles.

The other sanctioned entities are Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprise.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller posted on X platform on Wednesday that the US had been "been clear and consistent about our concerns” over such weapons proliferation and that it would "continue to engage constructively with Pakistan on these issues.”

Analysts say Pakistan's nuclear and missile programme is primarily aimed at countering threats from neighbouring India.

Security expert Syed Muhammad Ali called the sanctions "short sighted, destabilising and divorced for South Asian regional strategic realities.”

Pakistan became a declared nuclear power in 1998, when it conducted underground nuclear tests in response to those carried out by its rival and neighbor India. The two sides regularly test-fired their short, medium and long-range missiles.

Associated Press