‘Cause for concern’: Pakistan points to India after US calls Islamabad’s nukes a threat

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif (ANI file photo) (Used for representational purpose)

Pakistan on Friday rejected US claims that its nuclear arsenal and missile capabilities pose a threat to America, while highlighting India in its rebuttal. Islamabad insisted its nuclear program is “centred on deterrence” with respect to its neighbour and nuclear-armed India.The Pakistani government also dismissed Israeli envoy to New Delhi Reuven Azar’s description of the country as a “rogue state.”

A Pakistani foreign ministry official Tahir Hussain Andrabi defended the country against US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard’s assertion, saying, “Pakistan categorically rejects the recent assertion by a US official alleging a potential threat from Pakistan’s missile capabilities.”

He added, “exclusively defensive in nature, aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and maintaining peace and stability in South Asia.”Andrabi emphasised that Pakistan’s missile program is focused on deterrence vis-a-vis India. “Its missile programme, which remains well below intercontinental range, is fir­mly rooted in the doctrine of credible minimum deterrence vis-à-vis India,” he said.He contrasted this with India’s missile program, saying, “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.”Earlier, US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard had named Pakistan among the countries posing the greatest nuclear threat to the United States, along with Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea. She noted these nations are actively developing new missile delivery systems, with both nuclear and conventional warheads, that put the US within range.“The intelligence community assesses that 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,” Gabbard said. She also highlighted North Korea’s growing partnerships with Russia and China and noted that the US “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme in June last year, adding that no efforts to rebuild it have been observed since.