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Islamabad - Pakistan has firmly asserted its commitment to continuing its missile development programs despite the imposition of new sanctions by the United States, directly accusing India and Israel of influencing Washington's decision.
The sanctions target several Pakistani entities involved in the country's long-range ballistic missile programs, escalating already strained relations between Pakistan and the U.S. and highlighting the complex geopolitical dynamics in South Asia.
The U.S. recently imposed sanctions on entities including Pakistan's National Development Complex (NDC), which is responsible for the development of the Shaheen series of missiles.
These actions are part of a broader U.S. strategy to curb the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. Washington has expressed concerns that Pakistan's ballistic missile program, considered by many to be directed at India, threatens regional stability.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has vehemently denied these allegations and countered by accusing India and Israel of orchestrating a campaign to undermine Pakistan's strategic capabilities.
Pakistani officials claim that both countries are seeking to limit Pakistan's development of long-range ballistic missiles, viewing them as a critical component of the country's deterrent posture against India.
Defence analysts within Pakistan have echoed these sentiments, with many taking to social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to vow that missile development will proceed unimpeded.
They argue that Pakistan has fostered indigenous capabilities to circumvent such restrictions, ensuring its strategic deterrence against India remains robust.
Further fueling the controversy, Pakistani defence experts have criticized the U.S. for what they perceive as a double standard in its application of international norms.
They point to the scrutiny placed on Pakistan-China missile technology cooperation while the Indo-Russian BrahMos-2 project, a hypersonic cruise missile system, receives less international attention.
According to these experts, this disparity reflects a bias in U.S. foreign policy aimed at maintaining a strategic balance favorable to India.
The BrahMos-2, when fully developed, is expected to be capable of reaching speeds of Mach 7, making it difficult to intercept.
The BrahMos is already one of the world's fastest anti-ship cruise missiles with the range of about 450km and is developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India's DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
Its existence and further development highlight the ongoing arms race in the region, a fact often cited by Pakistani officials to justify their own missile development efforts.
Pakistan's missile program, including the Shaheen series, is largely viewed as a direct response to India's advancing missile capabilities. The Shaheen-III, for example, boasts a reported range of 2,750 kilometers, capable of reaching any part of India.
Pakistan's development of such systems is part of a broader strategy to maintain a credible deterrent against India, particularly given the advancements in India's conventional and nuclear-capable missile technology.
