The U.S. recently placed fresh penalties on four Pakistani companies for their suspected role in the country’s ballistic missile program, which the Foreign Office said Thursday were “biased” and “endanger regional and international peace.”
The statement was made in reaction to the United States’ announcement yesterday of more sanctions against four organizations it said were involved in the delivery or proliferation of WMDs.
These included the National Development Complex (NDC) in Islamabad and three businesses in Karachi: Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, and Rockside Enterprise, the State Department said.
Other Pakistani companies, as well as those of China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have already been sanctioned by the US for a variety of reasons, including alleged support for weapons and drone development projects in Iran and Pakistan.
In a press statement today, the FO stated that Pakistan views the US decision to impose sanctions on NDC and three business organizations as regrettable and discriminatory.
“These discriminatory practices and double standards jeopardize regional and global peace and security in addition to undermining the legitimacy of non-proliferation regimes,” it continued.
The FO claimed that the most recent round of sanctions “defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries,” despite the fact that Pakistan’s strategic capabilities were intended to .
We have been partners with Pakistan for a long time, and this action, in my opinion, indicates that there are still points of contention. We won’t think twice about taking action to defend America’s interests should such disputes emerge,” he had declared.
Pakistan rejected what it described as the “political use of export controls” earlier in April after the United States sanctioned four companies, three of which were Chinese and one of which was Belarusian, for allegedly selling “missile-applicable items” to Pakistan’s ballistic missile development.
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