Pakistan has a habit of pulling out the rabbit hole from time to time – something that surprises and irritates the United States time and again. But before the US can look at the method behind this move, Washington, which has reason for serious concern, often finds itself distracted by one of the many other serious problems facing the world. Islamabad knows this, and so, it makes its moves slowly, just like clockwork, knowing full well that watchful eyes are often focused on the regularly ticking seconds hand. .
Pakistan has only one rabbit – the nuclear bomb – which it pulls out of the bag every time Islamabad is either held accountable for its actions, or finds itself in a diplomatic corner with no way out.
Over time, that rabbit has grown both in number and range. As long as it merely irritated neighbors, it was not a priority for Washington. But the latest report coming from Pakistan has troubled America a lot.
According to reports, Pakistan is working on the latest version of its Shaheen missile – Shaheen-III – which will be capable of attacking the United States if needed. This move has shocked Washington.
The original stated objective of the Shaheen-III missile was to be able to attack India’s naval facilities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with an estimated range of 2,750 km, but this was only possible if the launch pads were right on the international border with India . , on the most south-eastern region of Pakistan. To change this, Rawalpindi, which is home to the Pak Army headquarters, is seeking help to increase the border.
Similar efforts are being made by Rawalpindi to increase the range of its second long-range missile, Ababeel, which can currently hit a distance of up to 2,000 km.
China, which enabled Pakistan to launch its nuclear programme, is reportedly helping Rawalpindi reach this goal. Confirming the news, US Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer recently said that “Pakistan is working on its long-range missiles and will soon have the capability to strike targets beyond South Asia, including the United States.” Can achieve.”
Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace last week, Mr. Finer said that “it is difficult for us to see Pakistan’s actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States.”
This is not only a matter of concern for America, but also for Israel. While Andaman and Nicobar is Pakistan’s focus in the east, if it turns its attention to the west, it already has the range to attack US naval assets in East Africa, Somalia’s Mogadishu and Djibouti. It can also attack the American base located in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. By moving north-west, the range of these missiles, even if marginally increased, would be capable of striking Israel.
The US is also aware of the turmoil in Pakistan and the fact that Pakistan has the largest number of terrorist groups in the world. There is always a risk of such technology falling into the wrong hands or being transferred to regimes hostile to the US and Israel.
latest restrictions
As recently as last week, the US had imposed sanctions on four Pakistani entities, including the state-owned key aerospace and defense agency – the National Development Complex or NDC, on charges related to its long-range ballistic missile programme.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the sanctions were imposed on four Pakistani companies under an executive order that “targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.”
Apart from NDC, the three other entities sanctioned by the US are Akhtar & Sons Pvt Ltd, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprises. All three are based in Karachi, while NDC is based in Islamabad. According to the US State Department, these companies worked with the NDC to acquire equipment related to the long-range ballistic missile program.
A statement released by the US State Department last week said, “The United States holds the NDC responsible for Pakistan’s development of ballistic missiles, including the Shaheen-series ballistic missiles.” It said the NDC and three other entities worked to acquire a number of items, including specialized vehicle chassis used as launch support equipment for ballistic missiles, in addition to acquiring missile testing equipment.
Pakistan’s Nuclear Program – A Brief History
On May 28, 1998, two weeks after India conducted its nuclear test in Pokhran, Pakistan conducted its nuclear test in the desert region of Balochistan. At that time, US President Bill Clinton had imposed sanctions on both the countries. From there, India and Pakistan took different paths in shaping their nuclear legacies. While India has established itself as a responsible nuclear power, Pakistan has been caught up in multiple acts of proliferation and repeated sanctions.
Since the early 90s, regardless of the risks, China has been actively involved in ensuring that Pakistan has a nuclear weapons program. In the process, Beijing has also been given approval to provide aid and technology to Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
In June, 1991, Washington held Beijing responsible for the export of sensitive missile technology to Islamabad and imposed sanctions on China. These restrictions were lifted about a year later, when Beijing, already a nuclear weapons state, agreed to abide by the international rules of the Missile Technology Control Regime, or MTCR, although to date, China is not officially in the MTCR. Has not joined.
Pakistan and China remained quiet for a while, and then, in 1993, Washington caught Beijing exporting sensitive missile technology to Islamabad. Sanctions were reimposed, but they did not prove very effective. Since then, China and Pakistan have continuously increased cooperation on missile technology and delivery systems, ignoring international rules stated in the MTCR.
Even after Pakistan tested the N-bomb in 1998, US sanctions proved to be only temporarily effective, as Washington lifted those sanctions soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks as part of its ‘war on terrorism’ in Afghanistan. ‘There was a need for Islamabad.
In another incident that highlights how China helped Pakistan by enhancing its sensitive technology, in August 1998, Pakistan managed to acquire US-made Tomahawk missiles. Two Tomahawk missiles, considered the latest technology at the time, turned out to be defective. They were part of a salvo of 75 missiles fired by the US targeting terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan.
Pakistan secretly shipped the Tomahawk missile to Beijing, where the technology was understood and replicated by China. From that new technology China developed its then-latest cruise missile – the DH-10. Beijing later sold these missiles back to Islamabad, where they were renamed Babur missiles, which are nuclear-capable.
Pakistan itself has been caught red-handed aiding nuclear proliferation from the very beginning. Islamabad has long been accused of covertly exporting sensitive nuclear weapons technology through its network of extremist elements. The most infamous of these was when disgraced Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadir Khan was found to be illegally selling nuclear-related technology to North Korea, Iran, Iraq and Libya. This embarrassed Pakistan globally and the US stopped those operations in 2004. But two decades later, equipment and sensitive technology continues to be supplied to North Korea and Iran from nefarious underground networks that experts believe comes from Pakistan – some say with China’s blessing.
