Pakistan developing missiles that eventually could hit US: White House official

WASHINGTON: A senior White House official said on Thursday Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets outside South Asia, including in the United States. In his stunning revelation about the onetime close US partner, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said 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 said, “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.

Meanwhile, speaking at a press briefing, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said that while Pakistan is an important partner for the US, there are clear concerns about its ballistic missile development.

He emphasised that the State Department will continue to implement sanctions and other measures to ensure national security, as it remains committed to maintaining the global non-proliferation regime. Patel noted that these sanctions will however not impact US-Pakistan relations in other areas, and discussions with the Pakistani government on these issues would continue.