Washington, December 18, 2024: The United States has announced fresh sanctions targeting Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program, including restrictions on the state-owned National Development Complex (NDC), which oversees the program.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that the sanctions, imposed under an executive order targeting proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and their means of delivery, also apply to three Karachi-based firms: Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, and Rockside Enterprise.
The measures freeze any U.S.-based assets of the targeted entities and prohibit American individuals and businesses from engaging with them.
A State Department factsheet noted that the NDC, based in Islamabad, is responsible for developing Pakistan’s ballistic missiles, including the nuclear-capable Shaheen missile series. The NDC has reportedly sought to procure components and testing equipment for the country’s missile program.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry condemned the sanctions, calling them “unfortunate and biased.” In a statement, it argued that the U.S. action undermines regional stability by “accentuating military asymmetries,” a pointed reference to Pakistan’s nuclear rivalry with India.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists estimates Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal at approximately 170 warheads. Pakistan became the seventh country to conduct nuclear weapons tests in 1998 but has refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which aims to prevent the global spread of nuclear weapons.
The sanctioned Karachi-based firms allegedly collaborated with the NDC in procuring missile development equipment. Miller reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to countering the proliferation of WMDs and related procurement activities.
“The United States will continue to act against proliferation and associated procurement activities of concern,” Miller said in the statement.
