A senior White House official said Thursday that nuclear-armed Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that could eventually allow it to strike targets outside South Asia, including the United States.
In his stunning revelation about the United States’ once-close partner, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said Islamabad’s conduct raised “real questions” about the goals of its ballistic missile program.
“Quite frankly, it is difficult for us to see Pakistan’s actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States,” Finer told the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace audience.
“Pakistan has developed increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment that would allow significantly larger rocket engines to be tested,” he said.
If those trends continue, Finer said, “Pakistan will have the ability to strike targets far beyond South Asia, including in the United States.”
His speech came a day after Washington announced a new round of sanctions related to Pakistan’s ballistic missile development program, including on the state defense agency that oversees the program.
