Pakistan said it categorically rejects the recent assertion by the United States alleging a potential threat from country's missile capabilities, emphasising that its capabilities are “exclusively defensive in nature, aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and maintaining peace and stability in South Asia.”
The statement by the Pakistani foreign ministry came after United States' intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday told lawmakers that Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile development could include missiles capable of targeting the US.
Pakistan said its missile programme, “which remains well below intercontinental range”, is firmly rooted in the doctrine of credible minimum deterrence “vis-à-vis India.”
Dragging New Delhi again in justifying itself, Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, as cited in the statement, said, “In contrast, India's development of missile capabilities exceeding 12,000 kilometres reflects a trajectory that extends beyond regional security considerations and is certainly a cause of concern for the neighbourhood and beyond.”
Responding to Pakistan's statement, India's Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that the country has a history of “clandestine nuclear nonproliferation, and statements like this again make it clear what kind of threat they pose to the world because of their clandestine nuclear operations.”
What did Gabbard say
In a testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, said on Wednesday that the threats to the US were set to expand collectively from more than 3,000 missiles at present to more than 16,000 missiles by 2035.
{{/usCountry}}In a testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, said on Wednesday that the threats to the US were set to expand collectively from more than 3,000 missiles at present to more than 16,000 missiles by 2035.
{{/usCountry}}"The US secure nuclear deterrent continues to ensure safety in the Homeland against strategic threats. However, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and Pakistan have been researching and developing an array of novel, advanced, or traditional missile delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads that put our Homeland within range," PTI news agency quoted Gabbard as saying.
Pak urges ‘measured approach’
Pakistan, in its statement, added that it “remains committed to constructive engagement with the United States, anchored in mutual respect, non-discrimination, and factual accuracy.”
Pakistan urged a “more measured and considered approach that aligns with South Asia's strategic imperatives and advances peace, security, and stability across the region.”
Gabbard said the US Intelligence Community assesses that threats to the Homeland will expand collectively to more than 16,000 missiles by 2035, from the current assessed figure of more than 3,000 missiles.
"The IC assesses that China and Russia are developing advanced delivery systems meant to be capable of penetrating or bypassing US missile defences," Gabbard said.
The US top intelligence official said that North Korea's ICBMs can already reach US soil, and it is committed to expanding its nuclear arsenal.
"Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile development potentially could include ICBMs with the range capable of striking the Homeland," Gabbard said.