Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday asserted that the recent sanctions placed by the United States on four Pakistani firms for their alleged involvement in the country’s ballistic missile programme had “no justification”.

The statement came after the US imposed sanctions on the Islamabad-based National Dev­elop­ment Complex and three Karachi-based entities last week, saying that the White House will continue to “act against the proliferation and associated procurement activities of concern.”

Taking an exception to the statement, the Foreign Office termed the decision “biased”, promoting a US official to allege that Pakistan could eventually develop capabilities to strike targets as far as the US, which the FO rejected as “unfounded [and] devoid of rationality”.

Addressing a federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad today, the premier said, “The sanctions placed upon our National Development Complex and other entities have no justification.

“Pakistan has absolutely no intention for our nuclear system to be aggressive. It is 100 per cent for Pakistan’s defence. It’s just deterrence; nothing else,” he added.

PM Shehbaz said Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme was for defending itself “if God forbid there is aggression against Pakistan”.

Noting that the FO had given a “comprehensive response”, the prime minister said the missile programme was not his or any of the cabinet member’s but belonged to the entire nation.

“It’s dearer to them (the public) than their own hearts and there will be no compromise,” the premier asserted, stating that the country was united on the matter.

Last week, the US said it was imposing additional sanctions related to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme, targeting four entities that it alleged were contributing to the proliferation or delivery of such weapons.

Responding to the sanctions, the FO had said they were “biased” and “endanger regional and international peace”.

Later, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer accused Pakistan of developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that could eventually allow it to strike targets “well beyond South Asia, including in the United States”.

However, showing caution, Pentagon press secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder refrained from direct criticism when asked about the US sanctions on Pakistan, adding that the US valued Pakistan as a partner in the region, having “worked closely” with the country on counterterrorism efforts in the past.

Responding to Finer’s claims of Pakistan being capable of striking the US, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch had termed them as “unfounded, [and] devoid of rationality and sense of history”.

In a statement, Baloch had clarified that Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities were “solely meant to deter and thwart a clear and visible existential threat from our neighbourhood and should not be perceived as a threat to any other country”.

The Pentagon’s careful positioning highlights its intent to preserve ties with the Pakistani military, a key regional partner in past US-led operations.

Analysts believe this stance reflects a deliberate effort to avoid alienating Islamabad, particularly at a time when the US seeks to enhance its influence in the Middle East and South Asia as Pakistan borders both regions.

In contrast, the White House’s more confrontational rhetoric appears to reflect growing frustration within the Biden administration over Islamabad’s strategic direction.