Islamabad,(Parliament Time): Ambassador Masood Khan, Pakistan’s former Ambassador to the United States, the United Nations, and China, has strongly refuted recent Western claims that Pakistan is pursuing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of targeting the United States.
In his article for Global South World, titled “Strategic Gaslighting: The Myth of Pakistan’s ICBMs,” Ambassador Khan said these assertions are baseless and politically motivated. He underscored that such narratives are part of a wider effort to mischaracterize Pakistan’s defense posture and distort its longstanding policy of maintaining only a credible minimum deterrence.
Ambassador Khan clarified that Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine remains India-specific and firmly anchored in the principle of credible minimum deterrence. “Our longest-range missile, the Shaheen-III, with a range of 2,750 km, is designed solely to ensure regional balance and deter aggression from India — including coverage of its strategic assets in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,” he wrote.
He emphasized that Pakistan has no plans to develop ICBMs, making it the only nuclear-armed state without such a weapon system.
Rejecting the flawed logic that Pakistan’s defensive research implies hostility toward the United States, Ambassador Khan reminded that Pakistan and the U.S. have been enduring partners since 1947.
From Cold War cooperation to counterterrorism partnerships, the relationship has weathered shifts but remained strategically resilient.
“The recent suggestion that Pakistan seeks an ICBM to deter Washington from aiding India is pure conjecture, detached from historical realities and present-day diplomacy,” he asserted.
He further argued that attempts to portray Pakistan as a potential adversary ignore the consistent and stabilizing role Islamabad has played in South Asia.
Citing the May 2025 hostilities between India and Pakistan, Ambassador Khan noted that President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio chose diplomacy and mediation, not partisanship, helping secure a ceasefire that reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to regional stability.
“The United States chose even-handed diplomacy — not alignment with India — and Pakistan fully supported this approach,” he observed.
Ambassador Khan pointed out that India’s own ICBM advancements — from the Agni-V with a range of up to 8,000 km to the ongoing development of the MIRV-capable Agni-VI — are conspicuously absent from Western scrutiny.
“If ICBMs automatically denote hostility, then why is India exempt?” he questioned, highlighting the inconsistency of narratives shaped by what he termed ‘Indomania’ — an entrenched bias that distorted U.S. policy under the previous administration.
He criticized the mischaracterization of Pakistan’s legitimate missile research and space launch technologies as “ICBM development,” noting that sanctions imposed on four Pakistani entities last year were unwarranted and based on misinformation.
Ambassador Khan argued that such narratives are often fed by Indian disinformation networks that manipulate global media and policy spaces to constrain Pakistan’s defense capabilities while concealing India’s rapid strategic expansion.
“India’s efforts to establish bases in Tajikistan, Oman, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles, coupled with its growing ICBM program, have accelerated the regional missile race.
By contrast, Pakistan continues to exercise restraint — pursuing credible, proportional deterrence rather than an open-ended arms buildup,” he wrote.
Ambassador Khan also credited the Trump Administration for recalibrating U.S. policy toward South Asia by recognizing Pakistan’s stabilizing role in post-conflict diplomacy. “Contrary to expectations, Washington did not side with India in the 2025 crisis.
Instead, it acknowledged Pakistan’s contribution to de-escalation and its importance to regional peace and counterterrorism,” he observed.
He concluded by calling for strategic honesty and responsible commentary in Western media and policy circles.
“Fearmongering about Pakistan’s non-existent ICBM program serves no one. It only distracts from India’s real and unchecked missile expansion, which is the genuine threat to regional and global stability,” he cautioned.
Ambassador Masood Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to restraint, stability, and international peace.
“Pakistan’s nuclear posture is defensive, transparent, and limited to deterring aggression from India. It is not — and has never been — directed at the United States or any other nation beyond our region,” he concluded.