Now scenarios have followed one another after the recent US move sanctioning Pakistan missile development agency. The U.S. government slapped sanctions on three private vendors of this particular public enterprise. Deputy National Security Adviser of the U.S. government Jon Finer accused Pakistan-specific action of building long-range ballistic missiles that are capable of reaching beyond South Asia, including the U.S.
The much-anticipated response to the validity of Finer’s pronouncement on the country’s real concerns about Pakistan’s ballistic missile program goes this way: “Candidly, it’s hard for us to view Islamabad’s actions now as anything else than an emerging threat to the US,” referencing advancements in long-range ballistic missile systems with equipment capable of testing larger rocket motors.
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This comes closely after the announcement of sanctions by the US State Department on Pakistan’s National Development Complex (NDC) and three Karachi-based firms. All of them were sanctioned through Executive Order 13382, signing the latter as “targeting alleged weapons of mass destruction proliferators and their delivery systems.”
Pakistan’s Response:
“Discriminatory,” the Foreign Office termed the US sanctions. They might tilt the balance of power in the region even worse. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the Foreign Office spokesperson, stressed that Pakistan’s strategic program was of a defensive nature, intended to safeguard sovereignty and maintain peace and stability in South Asia.
Baloch criticized what she claimed are “mere doubts and suspicion without any proof” bases for sanctioning private commercial firms. She also condemned the double standards of the US, which granted waivers to several recipients of advanced military technology transfers, including India.