A senior White House official said Thursday that nuclear-armed Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that could eventually allow it to strike targets outside South Asia, including the UNITED STATES.
In his stunning revelation about the United States’ former close partner, Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said Islamabad’s conduct raised “real questions” about the goals of its ballistic missile program.
“Frankly, it is difficult for us to view Pakistan’s actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States,” Finer told the audience at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“Pakistan has developed increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment to test much larger rocket engines,” he said.
If these trends continue, Finer said, “Pakistan will have the capacity to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States.”
His speech comes a day after Washington announced a new round of sanctions related to Pakistan’s ballistic missile development program, including against the state defense agency that oversees the program.
