Pakistan PM defies US sanctions on missile program, says nukes for defense only

Pakistan's prime minister pushed back against U.S. sanctions on the country's missile program on Tuesday, declaring that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal "belongs to 240 million Pakistanis" and would be used strictly for defense.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's comments came in response to Washington's sanctions announced last week targeting Pakistan's ballistic missile program and several related businesses.

"These sanctions that have been placed on our national defense complex and other entities, there is no basis for them," Sharif said in an address to the cabinet. "Pakistan is unequivocal that it has no intention whatsoever of using our nuclear system aggressively."

The sanctions freeze U.S. assets of Pakistan's National Development Complex and three other companies allegedly involved in developing long-range missiles, including the Shaheen series of ballistic missiles. They also bar Americans from doing business with these entities.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has called the sanctions "discriminatory" and warned they could destabilize the region. The ministry accused Washington of employing "double standards" by "waiving similar restrictions for other countries".

Pakistan, which conducted its first nuclear tests in 1998 in response to India's nuclear program, routinely test-fires various missiles it says are for maintaining deterrence in South Asia.

"If god forbids if there is aggression against Pakistan, only then we will use these weapons for our defense," Sharif said, emphasizing that the entire nation stands united behind the nuclear program.

New allegations

Sharif's remarks follow escalating tensions between longtime allies. Last week, a senior White House official warned that Pakistan is developing missile capabilities that could potentially reach U.S. territory.

"Pakistan has developed increasingly sophisticated missile technology," U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer told an audience at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "If those trends continue, Pakistan will have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States."