US imposes more sanctions over Pakistan's missile program

WASHINGTON: The United States said on Wednesday it was imposing new sanctions related to Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program, including on the state-owned defense agency that oversees the program.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that the measures slapped on the National Development Complex and three firms were imposed under an executive order that “targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.”

The sanctions freeze any U.S. property belonging to the targeted entities and bars Americans from doing business with them.

The Pakistani embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A State Department factsheet said the Islamabad-based NDC has sought to obtain components for the country’s long-range ballistic missile program and missile-testing equipment.

It said the NDC “is responsible for the development of Pakistan’s ballistic missiles,” including the Shaheen family of missiles.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists research organization says the Shaheen series of missiles is nuclear-capable.

The other entities slapped with sanctions were Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited and Rockside Enterprise, all located in Karachi, the factsheet said.

It said the companies worked with the NDC to acquire equipment.

“The United States will continue to act against proliferation and associated procurement activities of concern,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Read More: Pakistan reacts to US decision imposing sanctions on commercial entities on allegations of links with ballistic missile programme

In September this year, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on a Chinese research institute and several companies it said have been involved in supplying Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.

Reacting to the US decision, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that Pakistan considered the decision to impose sanctions on commercial entities over alleged connections to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program as biased and politically motivated.

She stated that similar listings of commercial entities in the past were based on mere suspicion, involved items not listed by any export control regime, and yet were considered sensitive under broad, catch-all provisions.