FO ‘categorically rejects’ US intelligence chief’s claims about threat from Pakistan’s missile program

The Department of Foreign Affairs (FO) on Thursday categorically rejected claims by the US director of national intelligence that Pakistan’s missile program posed a threat, saying the country’s capabilities were “exclusively defensive”.

“Pakistan categorically rejects a US official’s recent assertion that Pakistan’s missile capabilities could pose a threat. It emphasizes that Pakistan’s strategic capabilities are exclusively defensive in nature and aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and maintaining peace and stability in South Asia,” FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said.

The statement comes after US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Pakistan was among a small group of states whose weapons advancements could directly endanger the United States. Gabbard’s remarks place Pakistan alongside major powers such as China and Russia, as well as North Korea and Iran, as the most significant nuclear and missile threats to the United States.

Responding to media questions on the US statement today, Andrabi reiterated that Pakistan’s missile program remained well below intercontinental range and was firmly anchored in a credible minimum deterrence doctrine vis-à-vis India.

“In contrast, India’s development of missile capabilities exceeding 12,000 kilometers reflects a trajectory that extends beyond regional security considerations and is certainly a source of concern for the neighborhood and beyond,” he said.

Andrabi added that Pakistan remained committed to constructive engagement with the United States, anchored in “mutual respect, non-discrimination and factual accuracy.”

“We call for a more measured and thoughtful approach that aligns with South Asia’s strategic imperatives and advances peace, security and stability in the region,” he said.

This is not the first time that the United States has made unfounded allegations against Pakistan’s missile program. Previously, the United States had not only criticized Pakistan but also imposed additional sanctions over its ballistic missile development.

In December 2024, Jon Finer, then the deputy national security adviser of the United States, said that nuclear-armed Pakistan was developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that could eventually allow it to strike targets well beyond South Asia, making it an “emerging threat” to the United States.

Finer said Pakistan had pursued “increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment that would allow testing of much larger rocket engines.”

Pakistan, however, had rejected the concerns raised by the senior US official.

Learn more: Pakistan slams ‘baseless’ US missile threat claims

The same year, the United States announced additional sanctions targeting four entities linked to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program. The sanctions were aimed at curbing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, following concerns over Pakistan’s development of long-range missiles.

In April 2024, the United States imposed sanctions on three Chinese and one Belarusian, accusing them of supplying equipment for Pakistan’s ballistic missile program. Islamabad was quick to reject the move, saying “political reliance on export controls” would only lead to an arms race and disrupt the strategic balance.

In September 2023, the United States targeted a Chinese research institute and several companies involved in Pakistan’s missile program. In October 2023, the United States banned three Chinese companies based on similar allegations, while in December 2021, another Chinese company was sanctioned.