ISLAMABAD:
Islamabad on Saturday vehemently rejected as “baseless, lacking rationality and a sense of history” the claim by a senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration that Pakistan’s missile program was an “emerging threat” to the United States. .
“The alleged threat perception from Pakistan’s missile capabilities and delivery means, raised by the US official, is unfortunate,” read a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who also stressed that Pakistan does not harbors no “bad intention” toward the United States. .
The statement came two days after US deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said nuclear-armed Pakistan was developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that could eventually allow it to strike targets far beyond the south. from Asia, making it an “emerging threat” to the country. USA.
Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Finer said Pakistan has pursued “increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment that would allow significantly larger rocket engines to be tested.”
If those trends continue, Finer said, “Pakistan will have the ability to strike targets far beyond South Asia, including in the United States.” The number of states with nuclear weapons and missiles that can reach US territory “is very small and they tend to be adversaries,” he continued, naming Russia, North Korea and China.
“So, frankly, it’s difficult for us to see Pakistan’s actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States,” Finer said. His speech came a day after Washington announced a new round of sanctions related to Pakistan’s ballistic missile development program, including for the first time against the state defense agency that oversees the program.
“These accusations are baseless, they lack rationality and historical sense,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch. Since 1954, Pakistan and the United States have enjoyed a positive and far-reaching relationship, he added.
“The recent spate of US accusations towards a major non-NATO ally would be unhelpful to the overall relationship, especially in the absence of evidence to this effect. Pakistan has never had ill intentions towards the US in any way, shape or form,” and this fundamental reality has not changed,” he added.
On the contrary, the spokesperson added that Pakistan had made monumental sacrifices for this relationship and continues to suffer enormously by sustaining the onslaught of US policies in the region.
“It is regrettable that the US official alluded to putting Pakistan among those perceived to be in a confrontational relationship with the United States,” the spokesperson added.
“While manifestations of a much more potent missile capability in our eastern neighborhood are being ignored and protected, concerns about Pakistani capabilities are being raised apparently at the behest of others to further stress the already fragile strategic stability in the region.”
“We wish to reiterate that Pakistan’s strategic capabilities are intended to defend its sovereignty and preserve peace and stability in South Asia. Pakistan cannot abdicate its right to develop capabilities that are proportionate to the need to maintain a credible minimum deterrence. , as well as dynamic and evolving threats,” the statement reads.
The Pakistani reaction also provided insight into the closed-door discussions on the issue. The statement noted that since 2012, when US officials began addressing the issue, different Pakistani governments, leaders and officials have made efforts from time to time to positively address and eliminate misplaced US concerns.
Furthermore, Pakistan has also made it very clear that our strategic program and allied capabilities are only intended to deter and thwart a clear and visible existential threat from our neighborhood and should not be perceived as a threat to any other country. “Therefore, any unreasonable assumption of hostile intent on the part of Pakistan by any other country, including the United States, is baffling as well as illogical,” the spokesperson stressed.
“In view of the deep sanctity of the strategic program for the people of Pakistan and for the defense of the country, our clear iterations and manifestations of intent and purpose thereof, any attempt to seek intrusion into it, in any form or manner, with “any pretext is neither conceivable nor possible.”
“There is unwavering determination and total consensus on this aspect across the country’s entire political and social spectrum,” the statement said.
He said Pakistan had always sought to engage constructively with the United States on all issues, including the need to seek a balanced approach to security and stability in our region. “We have a long history of cooperation and look forward to building on this strong legacy.”
