Pakistan stunned by US fears over its missiles, assesses impact on South Asia

Washington’s assessment comes as Pakistan aims to balance its relations with the US and China amid fears of collateral damage

Reading Time:4 minutes

A Pakistani soldier salutes while standing on an air defence missile system during Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad in 2022. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:00pm, 25 Dec 2024

Pakistan has been blindsided by Washington’s designation of the entity overseeing the South Asian country’s ballistic missile development as a prospective threat to US national security, officials and analysts say.

The Pakistani foreign ministry said the US move to impose economic sanctions over the Rawalpindi-based National Development Complex on December 16 was an attempt by Washington to tilt the balance of power in South Asia in favour of India. The two South Asian countries have fought several wars since partition in 1947.

US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said last Thursday that Pakistan’s missile capabilities were an “emerging threat … fundamentally focused on us”, triggering concerns in Islamabad about Washington’s intentions.

Noting that Pakistan’s Shaheen-3 ballistic missiles have the range to hit India’s most distant military facilities in the Bay of Bengal and Israel, veteran political commentator Nusrat Javed said Pakistan could only be considered a threat by the US “if it counts Israel as its 51st state”.

The US and its allies “think Muslim countries should not possess nuclear weapons technology because we Muslims are crazy”, Javed said in a television programme.

Other Pakistani analysts have drawn parallels between Washington’s surprise move and Israel’s recent attacks on the air defences of Syria and Iran and raised the possibility of twin air strikes by Israel and India against Pakistan.