Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch responds to revelations by a White House official regarding ‘emerging threat’

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Saturday dismissed as unfounded and "devoid of rationality" assertions by a senior U.S. official that its missile programme could eventually pose a threat to the United States.

Security and civilian aid started pouring in while Pakistan's foreign debt was also rescheduled. The US repeatedly assured Pakistan that it would not commit the mistake of the past and would stand by it even after withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The United States has imposed sanctions targeting four Pakistani firms accused of being involved in Islamabad's ballistic missile program as the Biden administration targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction.

A senior White House official on Thursday said nuclear-armed Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets well beyond South Asia, making it an "emerging threat" to the United States.

The US sanctions come in light of the continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan’s long-range missile development.

The United States recently imposed sanctions on Pakistan, targeting its missile program and several related entities. Among the organizations sanctioned is the National Development Complex (NDC), a significant player in Pakistan’s missile and nuclear weapon development.