Pakistan developing missiles that could hit US — White House official

A senior White House official has claimed that Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets outside of South Asia, including in the United States.

In his stunning revelation about the onetime close US partner, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer claimed Islamabad's conduct raised "real questions" about the aims of its ballistic missile programme.

"Candidly, it's hard for us to see Pakistan's actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States," Finer told the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace audience.

"Pakistan has developed increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment that would enable the testing of significantly larger rocket motors," he said.

If those trends continue, Finer claimed, "Pakistan will have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States."

His speech came a day after Washington announced a new round of sanctions related to Pakistan's ballistic missile development programme, including on the state-run defence agency that oversees the programme.

'Discriminatory'

Pakistan has denounced the new US sanctions on the country's ballistic missile programme, calling them "discriminatory" that put the region's peace and security at risk.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry warned in a statement on Thursday that the sanctions "have dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond". It also cast doubt on US allegations that targeted businesses were involved in weapons proliferation because past sanctions "were based on mere doubts and suspicion without any evidence whatsoever".

The sanctions freeze any US property belonging to the targeted businesses and bar Americans from doing business with them.

The US State Department said one such sanctioned entity, the Islamabad-based National Development Complex worked to acquire items for developing Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme. The other sanctioned entities are Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprise.

Analysts say Pakistan's nuclear and missile programme is primarily aimed at countering threats from neighbouring India.

Security expert Syed Muhammad Ali called the sanctions "short sighted, destabilising and divorced for South Asian regional strategic realities".