Pakistan's weapons programs face scrutiny after US curbs

islamabad — 

The latest U.S.-imposed restrictions connected entities supporting Pakistan's defence programs whitethorn hinder Islamabad's aboriginal efforts to get delicate defence technologies and its collaboration with China but are improbable to impact Pakistan’s weapons improvement for now, experts say.

Sixteen Pakistani firms were among 26 planetary companies added this week to a U.S, “entities list,” making them ineligible to get U.S. items and exertion without authorities authorization.

Companies oregon individuals tin beryllium placed connected the database if they are “involved oregon airs a important hazard of being oregon becoming progressive successful activities contrary to the nationalist information oregon overseas argumentation interests of the United States,” according to a U.S. Commerce Department statement.

Nine of the 16 Pakistani companies added to the blacklist this week were accused of being beforehand companies for a antecedently sanctioned company, Advanced Engineering Research Organization, deemed liable for the country's cruise rocket and strategical drone programs.

The remaining 7 entities were added for contributions to Pakistan’s ballistic rocket program, the Commerce Department connection said. Other companies added to the database this week were accused of procuring U.S.-made items with subject applications for China, Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Defense analysts told VOA that summation to the database is improbable to dilatory Pakistan’s rocket program, which has continued contempt aggregate rounds of U.S. curbs connected entities supporting it.

“It volition not marque a quality to Pakistan,” said Pakistani defence expert Salman Javed, who acknowledged that the state relies connected the United States for different defence exertion needs. “I judge Pakistan's rocket programme is successful an precocious stage, and U.S. restrictions volition person nary interaction connected it.”

Former Pakistani service General Talat Masood said Pakistan has looked much to China than the United States for “the expertise and technology” needed to beforehand its drone program. But helium said the caller curbs mightiness impact Pakistan’s aboriginal collaboration with China successful the tract of drones and their merchantability to different countries.

Pakistan has not officially responded to the latest restrictions but objected past period erstwhile Washington blacklisted 4 companies, 3 Chinese and 1 Pakistani, for “knowingly” transferring prohibited instrumentality to Pakistan. Islamabad said the sanctions were imposed “without immoderate grounds whatsoever.”

Syed Irfan Ashraf, an adjunct prof astatine the University of Peshawar successful Pakistan, said the United States has agelong prevented arms exertion income successful achromatic markets to support its interests. “However, the timing and scrutiny of entities supporting Pakistan close present is crucial” due to the fact that of the conflicts successful Ukraine and the Middle East.

In September, the U.S. State Department acted against 5 entities and 1 idiosyncratic — each but 1 Chinese — that were progressive successful the proliferation of ballistic missiles and controlled rocket instrumentality and exertion to Pakistan.

Salman Ali, a Pakistani student astatine the School of Politics astatine the Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, said the caller question of U.S. sanctions represents a chiseled displacement from the accustomed regulatory measures observed since Pakistan's de facto nuclearization and are aimed much astatine pressuring China.

“Over the past six rounds of U.S. curbs, it's wide that the absorption has been connected the method exchanges betwixt China and Pakistan. These sanctions are not lone intended to curb the accelerated advancement of rocket and drone programs but are besides seen arsenic a strategy to unit China,” Ali told VOA.

Pakistan and Iran are some members of the China-led determination confederation Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which opposed the unilateral sanctions successful its precocious concluded acme October 16 successful Islamabad.

This communicative originated successful VOA’s Deewa Service. Iftikhar Hussain reported from Washington.