ISLAMABAD, MAR21: Pakistan has hit back at the United States after American intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard warned that Islamabad’s nuclear and missile programme poses a significant threat to the US homeland, and has now turned the spotlight back on India. In a strongly worded rebuttal, Islamabad insisted its nuclear doctrine is “centred on deterrence” vis‑à‑vis a nuclear‑armed India, while portraying New Delhi’s longer‑range missile ambitions as a far broader concern for the region and beyond.
Pakistani officials said Washington’s decision to place Pakistan in the same category as Iran, China, Russia and North Korea in the 2026 global threat assessment was “unfounded,” and argued that India’s development of missile capabilities with ranges exceeding 12,000 kilometres is a “cause of concern” for neighbours and the world. The move has revived debate over South Asian strategic stability, with India and the US both warning that any escalation in Pakistan’s ballistic‑missile and nuclear posture adds to global security risks.
The exchange reflects a widening trust deficit between the US and Pakistan, even as Islamabad seeks to downplay fears of its arsenal being used beyond the subcontinent. At the same time, New Delhi has reiterated that Pakistan’s history of opaque nuclear behaviour and tactical‑warhead development heightens the risk of miscalculation in any future India‑Pakistan crisis.
