ISLAMABAD:
When the United States imposed sanctions on four Pakistani entities – including the National Development Complex (NDC) – this week to attack the country’s long-range missile program, one question was left unanswered: why the United States is behind Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.
It was often said that Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs did not fit into the United States’ broader geostrategic objectives. The other factor in US opposition to Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs was the country’s economic, political and security vulnerability. The United States is believed to have held war exercises on how to protect Pakistan’s nuclear assets in case the South Asian nation fell into chaos or some rebel element took control.
However, for the first time a senior US official made a surprising claim about Pakistan’s long-range missile programme. 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 far beyond South Asia, making it an “emerging threat” to the United States. .
The surprise revelation by deputy national security adviser Jon Finer underscored the extent to which once-close ties between Washington and Islamabad have deteriorated since the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021. It also raised questions about whether Pakistan has changed the objectives of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs that have long sought to counter those of India, with which it has fought three major wars since 1947.
Speaking to 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.
There was no immediate official reaction to the US official’s latest claims. Privately, however, officials forcefully dismissed American concerns as “absurd.” One official explained that Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs were only aimed at frustrating India.
Pakistan’s ballistic missile program, according to the official, was part of the country’s overall deterrence to ward off any misfortune from neighboring India. “The claim that our missile program is a threat to the United States is simply bizarre,” another official said.
Pakistan is developing a long-range ballistic missile system to neutralize the Indian defensive shield. As part of the program, Pakistan conducted the first test of Ababeel in January 2017, followed by its second test six years later in October 2023. During these six years, NDC has been continuously working on this technology.
Ababeel has a range of 2,200 kilometers and can carry more than one warhead, both nuclear and conventional. Pakistan also successfully tested the Shaheen-III, which has a range of 2,750 kilometers. Experts say none of the long-range missiles have range beyond India.
But to attack the United States or its interests, Pakistan needs a missile with a range of more than 10,000 kilometers. One official said how on earth has Washington come to the conclusion that Pakistan first makes long-range missiles and then attacks targets in the United States.
Another U.S. fear, some observers think, is that Pakistan’s missile program could pose a threat to its ally Israel. The real target of US sanctions is Pakistan’s space program. The United States is concerned that Pakistan is trying to build a space launch vehicle. The space launch vehicle has a dual use. It can be used for launching satellites but at the same time for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), which can have a range of 8,000 to 15,000 km.
But officials dismissed such claims, saying Pakistan’s space program was intended for peaceful use. Some observers think that the United States, under the pretext of Pakistan’s missile program, is targeting Chinese interests. The United States has long feared that China is aiding Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs, a claim strongly rejected by both sides.
The latest US move is reminiscent of the sanctions imposed on Pakistan following the US withdrawal in 1989 following the expulsion of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The Pressler Amendment, which was passed in 1985 to monitor Pakistan’s nuclear program, was finally invoked by the US president in 1990. Father Bush refused to certify that Pakistan was not developing nuclear weapons, leading to the curtailment of all security and other assistance. .
Officials said such moves by the United States would only deepen the trust deficit and lend credence to voices who believe Washington has never been a trustworthy partner of Islamabad.
They added that Pakistan had previously shown that such sanctions had little impact and that the latest one would also prove counterproductive.
