Four Pakistani entities, including the state-owned flagship aerospace and defence agency-National Development Complex (NDC), were sanctioned by the United States. The US said that the sanctions were being imposed on charges of contributing to nuclear-armed Islamabad’s long-range ballistic missile programme.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the four firms were slapped with sanctions under an executive order that targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
In addition to the NDC, the other firms to be sanctioned are Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprise. While the NDC is based in Islamabad, the rest operate out of Karachi. These companies worked with the NDC to acquire equipment. This move would freeze any US property belonging to the targeted entities and bar Americans from doing business with them.
Pakistan and the emerging threat
Pakistan’s missile programme is not just a threat to Bharat but to other parts of the world. Islamabad has been developing ballistic missiles that would strike well beyond South Asia. This makes it an emerging threat to the United States as well.
In a surprising revelation, Deputy National Security Adviser (US) Jon Finer said that Pakistan has shifted the objectives of its nuclear weapons and ballistic programmes. These programmes that were long intended to counter those of India are now witnessing a shift.
Finer also said that Pakistan has pursued increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment which would enable testing of significantly larger rocket motors. If this trend continues, then Pakistan will have the ability to target well beyond South Asia, including the United States, Finer said.
A lurking danger
The US may have looked the other way for a long since it felt that Pakistan’s missile programme was largely intended to counter Bharat. It also felt that the programme was aimed at maintaining regional stability.
However, these revelations suggest that Pakistan wants to be a big player and is developing missiles to target beyond South Asia. This can be seen from the fact that Islamabad has been actively developing large rocket engines.
Washington and Islamabad have for long been partners in development and counterterrorism. This raises the question is why Pakistan is developing missiles which could target the US. The assessment by the US is that the Pakistan missiles are a threat to the country, and this is just a decade away. Hence, the sanctions became important so that they could act as a deterrent.
Pakistan has been critical of the fact that New Delhi and Washington have developed close ties over the years. It has also accused the US of being biased towards it and added that these sanctions handicap its ability to defend against Bharat.
The ties between the US and Pakistan have been rocky lately. The two countries once shared close ties and during the Cold War, Islamabad supported the Afghan rebels against the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Pakistan was also a close ally of the US fight against Al-Qaeda following the 9/11 attacks. However, in recent years, ties have deteriorated due to the coups staged by the Pakistani military in support of the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule.
Pakistan’s missile programme
Pakistan became the seventh country when it conducted a nuclear test in 1998. Pakistan has around 170 warheads, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists research organisation. The Shaheen series of missiles is also nuclear-capable.
The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is an international treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology and promises the peaceful use of nuclear energy with the intention of nuclear disarmament. However, Pakistan has refused to sign the NPT.
Pakistan has, over the years, pursued its nuclear programme heavily. In doing so, it has defied international sanctions regimes, which has been subject to several times.
What is US concerned about
Pakistan has, over the years, moved away from the US and other groupings as it focused its ties only on China. Both China and Pakistan have referred to each other as ‘all-weather friends,’ something that is an irritant for the US.
During its drone programme, Islamabad has relied heavily on China rather than the US for expertise and technology.
If one looks at the last six rounds of US sanctions, it is clear that the focus has largely been on the technical exchanges between China and Pakistan. While the intention is to curb the advancement of the missile and drone programme, the sanctions are also imposed to pressurise China.
In September, the US had imposed sanctions on a Chinese research institute and several other companies. The US claimed that these companies had been supplying the NDC with equipment. It was stated that the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machine Building Industry had worked with Pakistan to procure equipment for testing rocket motors for Shaheen-3 and the Ababeel systems and for larger systems. Three China-based companies were sanctioned in 2023 for supplying missile-applicable items to Pakistan.
Islamabad, however, believes that the latest sanctions are unjust and discriminatory as it puts the region at risk. The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan warned that the sanctions have dangerous implications for the strategic stability of the region and also beyond it. Islamabad also cast doubts on the US allegations, which targeted businesses which were involved in weapons proliferation, as previous sanctions were based on mere doubts and suspicion without any evidence.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller Ade made it clear that there are concerns about Pakistan’s missile programme. He said that the US would continue to engage constructively with Pakistan on these issues.
