WASHINGTON: The US Department of State dismissed any suggestions of rifts between Islamabad and Washington despite the recent imposition of sanctions on four commercial entities allegedly linked to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.
“Absolutely not. You’ve heard me say this before. Pakistan remains one of our most important partners in the region,” said Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, during a press briefing on Thursday.
Patel emphasized that the US and Pakistan maintain significant cooperation, particularly in security and trade.
“This relationship is robust, and we aim to strengthen it further,” Patel added when questioned about the state of relations between the two countries.
Last week, the US State Department imposed sanctions on three Chinese entities and one from Belarus for reportedly providing support to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.
In response, the Foreign Office (FO) rejected the “political use” of export control, stating that similar listings had occurred in the past without sharing evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in ballistic missile activities.
FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stated that Islamabad was not informed about the specifics of the recent US measures and highlighted instances where listings were made based on suspicion rather than evidence.
She emphasized that many items targeted by these controls have legitimate civil commercial applications and stressed the need for objective discussions to ensure access to technology for socio-economic development.
