Pakistan rejects US missile threat claim, cites defensive doctrine

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office has rejected claims by the United States intelligence community that its missile program could evolve into a threat to the US mainland, calling the assertion unfounded and inconsistent with ground realities.

In an official statement issued on Thursday, the Foreign Office said Pakistan “categorically rejects the recent assertion by a United States official alleging a potential threat from Pakistan’s missile capabilities,” stressing that its strategic posture remains “exclusively defensive in nature.”

The statement came in response to remarks by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who presented the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

In her testimony, Gabbard said countries including Pakistan were developing missile systems that could “put our Homeland within range,” adding that Islamabad’s program “potentially could include ICBMs with the range capable of striking the Homeland.”

Islamabad, however, dismissed the suggestion, emphasising that its missile program “remains well below intercontinental range” and is “firmly rooted in the doctrine of credible minimum deterrence vis-à-vis India.”

“It is emphasised that Pakistan’s strategic capabilities are exclusively defensive in nature, aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and maintaining peace and stability in South Asia,” the statement said.

The Foreign Office further underscored that Pakistan’s deterrence posture is shaped by regional dynamics, particularly its long-standing rivalry with India, rather than any ambition to project power globally. 

“Its missile programme… is firmly rooted in the doctrine of credible minimum deterrence vis-à-vis India,” it reiterated.

Available data on Pakistan’s missile inventory supports this position.

The country’s systems largely fall within short- to medium-range categories, including the Hatf series, from Hatf-I (around 65 km) to Hatf-VI (up to 2,750 km), alongside platforms such as Ghauri (approximately 1,500 km) and Shaheen variants.

These ranges are consistent with regional deterrence requirements rather than intercontinental reach.

Former foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani also challenged the US assessment, stating that the claim that Pakistan could target the US homeland is “not grounded in strategic reality.”

He added that Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine is “India specific aimed at maintaining credible deterrence in South Asia, not projecting power globally.”

While the US assessment broadly highlights the expansion of global missile capabilities, including by China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and Pakistan, Islamabad argues that such grouping overlooks critical differences in doctrine and intent. 

The report itself notes that these countries are modernizing delivery systems and may extend ranges over time, but does not cite concrete evidence of an operational shift toward intercontinental targeting by Pakistan.

The Foreign Office urged Washington to adopt “a more measured and considered approach that aligns with South Asia’s strategic imperatives,” warning that overstating threats risks mischaracterising regional security dynamics.

“Pakistan remains committed to constructive engagement with the United States, anchored in mutual respect, non-discrimination, and factual accuracy,” the statement said.

By framing its missile capabilities within a regional deterrence context, Islamabad has sought to counter what it views as an “alarmist narrative,” maintaining that its strategic posture is designed to preserve stability in South Asia, not to extend its reach beyond it.