Pakistan’s foreign ministry warned that sanctions would have a “dangerous impact” on “regional strategic stability”.
Pakistan has condemned new US sanctions against its ballistic missile program as “discriminatory” and said they endanger regional peace and security.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry warned in a statement on Thursday that sanctions “have a dangerous impact on the strategic stability of our region and beyond.”
It also cast doubt on U.S. claims that the targeted companies were involved in arms proliferation, as previous sanctions were “based on mere suspicion and suspicion without any evidence.”
He also accused the United States of “double standards” in exempting other countries from licensing requirements for advanced military technology. The sanctions freeze all U.S. property owned by the targeted companies and prohibit Americans from doing business with them.
The US State Department said one such sanctioned entity, the Islamabad-based National Development Complex, was involved in the acquisition of materials for the development of Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program, including the Shaheen series of ballistic missiles. He said he was working on it.
Other licensed companies are Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprise.
The latest U.S. sanctions come months after similar measures were taken against other foreign organizations, including Chinese research institutes, after the U.S. State Department accused them of working in a national development complex. -Range ballistic missile.
Pakistan was declared a nuclear state in 1998 and conducted underground nuclear tests in response to tests carried out by rival and neighboring India. The two countries regularly conducted test launches of short-range, intermediate-range, and long-range missiles.
“A new threat to the United States”
Later Thursday, a senior White House official said Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that could eventually hit targets outside South Asia, including the United States.
Vice President for National Security John Finer said Islamabad’s actions raised “real questions” about the purpose of its ballistic missile program.
“Frankly, it’s hard to see Pakistan’s actions as anything other than a new threat to the United States,” Feiner told an audience at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“Pakistan is developing increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment that allows testing of significantly larger rocket motors,” he said.
If these trends continue, Finer said, Pakistan will have the ability to attack targets far beyond South Asia, including the United States.
