Kolkata: Pakistan is secretly building a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a range so vast that it can even reach the United States, according to a report by Foreign Affairs. The report quotes intelligence agencies in Washington and comes amid reports indicating Pakistan’s renewed efforts to improve its nuclear weapons with the help of China as tension with India persists.
As per the report, US officials have said if Pakistan acquires such a devastating weapon, then the US can designate the country as a nuclear adversary. Notably, the US sees any nation as a nuclear adversary that has nuclear weapons and can be a potential threat or enemy of the country. At present, the US considers China, North Korea and Russia as nuclear adversaries.
The report quoted US officials who said, “If Pakistan acquires an ICBM, Washington will have no choice but to treat the country as a nuclear adversary. No other country with ICBMs that can target the United States is considered a friend.”
Pakistan’s nuclear programme
Meanwhile, Pakistan has repeatedly claimed that the sole aim of its nuclear program is to thwart India and it has focused on developing short- and medium-range missiles. Notably, the ICBMs can have both nuclear and conventional warheads. The missiles can hit targets which are located at a distance of more than 5,500 km. At present, there are reportedly no ICBMs in Pakistan’s arsenal. In 2022, Pakistan tested the surface-to-surface medium-range ballistic missile Shaheen-III, which can hit targets over 2,700 km.
The issue of nuclear weapons
The issue of nuclear weapons came to the fore during the recent Iran-Israel war in which the latter first hit Ali Khamenei’s country reportedly to break the back of its ability to develop such ammunition. The claim that Iran was building nuclear weapons was reiterated by US President Donald Trump, with America also getting involved in the war by hitting three nuclear facilities in Iran. After that attack, Trump claimed that Iran’s capability to develop nuclear weapons had been ‘obliterated’.
