New Delhi: The US on Wednesday imposed a fresh set of sanctions on Pakistani firms, on charges of aiding Islamabad’s nuclear missile programme. And Pakistanis are miffed. They are calling it a failure of ‘Project Imran’. The sanctions have officially been labelled as ‘double standards’ of the US State Dept, calling it ‘discriminatory’ toward Pakistan.
Others are busy warning the US: ‘Don’t mess with General Asim Munir’.
While the US sees these actions as necessary to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, Pakistan views them as a violation of its sovereign right to defend itself.
The sanctions specifically target the National Development Complex (NDC), the flagship aerospace and defense agency responsible for the development of Pakistan’s Shaheen-series ballistic missiles, which are nuclear-capable. In addition to NDC, three private companies based in Karachi—Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International, and Rockside Enterprise—were also sanctioned. According to the US State Department, these companies facilitated the procurement of equipment and materials to support Pakistan’s missile programme.
Pakistan, which had earlier in November called the US its ‘old friends and partners’, slammed the sanctions, calling them “unfortunate and biased”. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming that these measures would exacerbate regional military imbalances, destabilise the region, and undermine peace efforts.
Pakistan argued that its strategic missile capabilities are essential for its national defense and security in a volatile South Asian context, especially considering India’s growing military and nuclear capabilities.
Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, voiced a sharp critique, suggesting that the imposition of sanctions on Pakistan’s missile programme could mirror the suspicions that arose during previous sanctions on Pakistan’s nuclear programme. Haqqani argued that such sanctions — often perceived as a form of external pressure — will once again fuel the narrative of political manipulation by foreign powers, especially the US.
“When the US imposed sanctions on the nuclear programme, American statements regarding democracy and human rights also became suspicious in the eyes of Pakistanis, as if they were also part of the pressure. Now, sanctions related to the missile programme may create a similar impression in Pakistan’s internal politics,” he wrote on X.
Analysts like Hassan Akbar from The Wilson Center also weighed in, stressing that the US had escalated its actions by targeting the NDC directly in its third round of sanctions on Pakistan’s missile programme this year. This was seen as a step further in Washington’s strategy, which Pakistan perceives as part of an effort to curb its military development in a region already rife with geopolitical instability.
Akbar also noted that this move is likely to have significant political repercussions in Pakistan. Islamabad is signaling that missile development will continue as a necessary countermeasure to the growing military capabilities of India.
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PTI vs PMLN battle
But beyond the diplomatic fallout, the issue has become deeply enmeshed in Pakistan’s internal politics, with critics pointing fingers at political rivals for undermining national security.
The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have made it a battle of superiority. PML-N supporters are angry that PTI is celebrating the sanctions and PTI supporters want Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for his inefficiency.
Saad Kaiser, a prominent PML-N supporter wrote on X: “Now do you understand the amount of pressure Nawaz Sharif took from the US? This was the day when Pakistan became a nuclear state. Sadly, the generals who brought ‘Project Imran’ are responsible for everything PTI is doing against Pakistan today. Never again! Pakistan Zindabad”.
Meanwhile, prominent journalist Jalil Afridi, wrote on X, “Another bad news of Pakistan. Dear @OfficialDGISPR can we get any good news under @CMShehbaz? Or Pakistan HAS to be humiliated to keep this Joker & Criminal in power?”
Sher Khan, an X user came to the rescue, summing it up in a tweet: “Latest sanctions by the US on Pakistan’s ballistic missile program have to do with the changing regional order not PTI PMLN. Tweeps from both sides should relax.”