The United States has announced sanctions on three Chinese and one Belarusian company for allegedly developing and cooperating with Pakistan’s missile program. In a statement released by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, the US is designating four companies that have been involved in the production and delivery of weapons of mass destruction. 

The United States will continue to act against weapons of mass destruction. It should be noted that so far, the US has provided Israel with weapons worth more than three billion dollars for the war in Gaza. 

The Foreign Office of Pakistan has said in a statement that Islamabad is unaware of the recent actions of the United States. However, in the past, the list was issued based on mere suspicion, or the items included were not even included in the control list but were considered sensitive.

The US State Department has also released a fact sheet. According to this fact sheet, the United States has accused the China-based Xi’an Longde Technology Development Co., Ltd. of supplying parts and equipment for the development of Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missiles. The fact sheet also includes a filament winding machine. 

The statement alleged that the filament winding machine could be used to manufacture rocket motor cases. Tianjin Creative International Trade Co., Ltd. has provided equipment to Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program, including ‘troweling’ equipment. 

According to the US, propellants used in space launch vehicles can also be used in the production of tanks. The fact sheet alleges that China’s Granpact Co., Ltd. has been found involved in supplying test equipment for rocket motors in collaboration with Sparco, Pakistan’s space research agency. 

It is further alleged that the same company has been supplying parts to Pakistan to test large rocket motors. It should be noted that Pakistan produces MTCR category one ballistic missiles. According to the fact sheet, the Belarus-based Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant has supplied a unique vehicle chassis to Pakistan for its ballistic missile program.

 According to the statement, this chassis is helpful in the launch support program of ballistic missiles provided to Pakistan’s National Development Complex (NDC). This may lead to an increase in the number of weapons, an imbalance in the power of countries in the region, and the objectives of preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the peace and security of the area and the world are at risk. 

The US Department of Justice has said that these weapons or missiles have allegedly been used in recent attacks on US aircraft. For this reason, the United States has been continuing this operation since January this year so that the Houthi rebels cannot get any help. However, this is not the first time the US has imposed such a ban on a country. 

For this, if we look at some past incidents, we find that before this, the same type of ban was also imposed on Pakistan by the United States. In 2021, the US administration imposed sanctions on 13 Pakistani companies, accusing them of providing support to Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs. 

Analysts and researchers at the time said that these companies did not appear to have any connection with Pakistan’s nuclear or missile programs as they were involved in trading, engineering, and import business. Then, in 2023, the US imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies for supplying parts and equipment for Pakistan’s ballistic missile program. The companies accused this time have yet to state the sanctions.