Analysts question the rationale of US sanctions on Pakistan’s missile program
Tahir Hussain Andrabi, Director-General of the Arms Control and Disarmament and International Security (ACDIS) at Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has firmly stated that Pakistan cannot accept limitations on its missile capabilities.
He made these remarks during a Roundtable Discussion on
"Latest Discriminatory US Sanctions and Assertions About Pakistan’s
Missile Program – Implications and Challenges," organized by the Institute
of Strategic Studies (ISS) in Islamabad.
Andrabi emphasized that arms control negotiations should be meaningful only
in a bilateral context, urging the United States to facilitate such dialogue
within the region. He argued that the scope of US sanctions needs to be
understood, pointing out that while sanctions against Pakistan are not new,
there has been a noticeable increase in their frequency over the past two
years. He noted that these sanctions are primarily a result of geopolitical
rivalries and reflect gaps in export control regimes, where legitimate national
needs for accessing technology for peaceful purposes are being blocked. Andrabi
stressed the challenges Pakistan faces in engaging constructively with the US
on this issue.
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sanctions to hurt Pakistan’s ballistic missile program
Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at
Quaid-i-Azam University, added that the US sanctions are part of a broader
political strategy aimed at discrediting Pakistan. He argued that the United
States seeks to pressure Pakistan into accepting India as a dominant regional
power, a stance that Pakistan cannot accept. Jaspal noted that the ultimate
goal of the sanctions appears to be capping Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs
and, if possible, rolling them back. He also observed that the growing US-China
strategic competition, which is expected to intensify in the coming year, plays
a role in this geopolitical maneuvering. He concluded by saying that India is
attempting to leverage the shifting geostrategic dynamics to put additional
pressure on Pakistan.
Zamir Akram, Advisor to Pakistan’s Strategic Planning Division (SPD), traced
the history of US sanctions on Pakistan, noting that they date back to the
1970s. When India conducted its first nuclear test in 1974, the US imposed
sanctions on Pakistan to prevent its nuclear development. Additional sanctions
were imposed after India’s nuclear tests in 1998. Akram highlighted the
consistent pattern of discriminatory treatment by the US regarding Pakistan's
nuclear and missile programs. He also suggested that Pakistan's strategic
partnership with China may have influenced US policy and the imposition of
sanctions, particularly in the context of containing China's growing influence.
Akram emphasized that Pakistan cannot accept limitations on its missile
capabilities and must continue to develop its missile and space programs to
counter regional threats, particularly from India.
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condemns US sanctions on missile program as “unfortunate and biased”
The discussions underscored the ongoing challenges faced by Pakistan in
navigating its defense strategy amidst external pressures and the complex
geopolitics of the region.
Source: The News