Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif criticized the United States on Tuesday for imposing sanctions on his country's ballistic missile program, asserting that there was "no justification" for the action.
On December 12, Washington announced it was implementing additional restrictions on Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile system, specifically targeting the National Development Complex (NDC), which manages the program. These sanctions freeze any U.S. assets owned by the affected entities and prohibit U.S. nationals from engaging in business with them.
Sharif emphasized during a cabinet meeting that "Pakistan does not harbour any intention in which its nuclear system is aggressive; it is 100% in Pakistan's defence. It is just intended for deterrence purposes and nothing else." He further stated, "This programme is not mine, nor any political party's; it belongs to the 240 million people of this country, and it is dear to them. There will be no compromise on this programme, and the entire nation is united on this issue."