Pakistan dismisses US claim on ballistic missile program

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan on Saturday rejected claims by a senior US official regarding its ballistic missile program, labeling them as baseless and counterproductive to bilateral ties.

In a statement, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that these allegations are "unfounded, devoid of rationality and sense of history."

Her reaction comes after senior White House official Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said that Pakistan developing a long-range missile that could strike targets beyond South Asia, making it an "emerging threat" to the US.

"The alleged threat perception from Pakistan’s missile capabilities and delivery means, raised by the US official are unfortunate," she said.

Finer’s remarks came on Thursday after the US imposed sanctions on Islamabad-based National Development Complex and private companies in Karachi, including Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International, and Rockside Enterprise over their alleged role in Pakistan's ballistic missile program.

"The recent spate of US allegations towards a major non-NATO ally would be unhelpful for the overall relationship, especially in the absence of any evidence in this regard. Pakistan has never had any ill-intention towards the US in any form or manner, and this fundamental reality has not changed," Baloch said.

She added that Islamabad made monumental sacrifices for its relationship with the US, which continues to suffer hugely in sustaining the onslaught of the aftermath of US policies in the region.

Islamabad regrets the imposition of sanctions on private commercial entities, claiming that previous sanctions targeting commercial entities were based on mere suspicions and lack of evidence.

In September this year, the US also sanctioned Chinese suppliers and a Pakistani entity for their alleged involvement in Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.

The sanctions follow a similar US action in April when Washington blacklisted four Belarussian and Chinese companies for supplying missile-related items to Pakistan's long-range missile program.

"Concerns on Pakistani capabilities are being raised seemingly at the behest of others to further accentuate the already fragile strategic stability in the region," Baloch added.