Pakistan slams US for double standards over sanctions on missile program

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Pakistan on Saturday slammed US for double standards over sanctions on its missile program, calling Washington’s move as "biased and politically-motivated."

The US also took similar listings of commercial entities based on mere suspicion, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement.

"Pakistan considers this action as biased and politically-motivated. Similar listings of commercial entities in the past were based on mere suspicion; involved items not listed under any export control regime and yet were considered sensitive under broad, catch-all provisions," Baloch said.

It is widely known that some countries, while claiming strict adherence to nonproliferation norms, have conveniently waived licensing requirements for advanced military technologies to their favored states, she added.

"Such double standards and discriminatory practices undermine the credibility of global nonproliferation regimes, increase military asymmetries, and endanger international peace and security," she added.

On Thursday, the US has imposed sanctions on Chinese suppliers and a Pakistani entity for their alleged involvement in Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.

In a statement, the US Department of State announced sanctions against five entities and one individual, accusing them of transferring missile technology and equipment in violation of the Missile Technology Control Regime.

The latest sanctions follow a similar US action in April, when Washington blacklisted four companies from Belarus and China for supplying missile-applicable items to Pakistan's long-range missile program.