Pakistan has sharply rebuked recent US claims that its nuclear arsenal and missile capabilities represent a threat to America.

The dismissal came from Islamabad on Friday, following remarks by US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard, who listed Pakistan alongside Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea as nations developing advanced missile systems capable of reaching the US homeland.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government insisted that Pakistan's nuclear programme remains strictly defensive, centred on credible minimum deterrence against its nuclear-armed neighbour, India. A foreign ministry official, Tahir Hussain Andrabi, categorically rejected Gabbard's assertion, describing Pakistan's missile efforts as aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and regional stability in South Asia.

Andrabi emphasised that Pakistan's missiles remain well below intercontinental range, in line with its doctrine of maintaining a minimal deterrent posture. He drew a pointed contrast with India, accusing New Delhi of pursuing capabilities exceeding 12,000 kilometres—far beyond regional needs and a 'cause for concern' for neighbours and the wider world.

This exchange unfolds against a tense backdrop in South Asia, where India and Pakistan have long maintained nuclear arsenals as mutual deterrents. Pakistan's programme, estimated at around 170 warheads by recent assessments, focuses on tactical and medium-range systems like the Shaheen series, explicitly geared towards countering India's conventional superiority.

India, with an arsenal of approximately 160 warheads, has advanced its Agni-VI and other systems towards intercontinental capabilities, prompting Pakistani critiques of an escalatory arms race. New Delhi frames these developments as part of its no-first-use policy and broader strategic autonomy, including responses to threats from China along the Himalayan border.

Gabbard's testimony highlighted a broader US intelligence assessment of global proliferation risks. She noted novel delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads from the named states, underscoring North Korea's deepening ties with Russia and China.

Notably, she referenced the US 'obliteration' of Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities in June 2025, with no observed rebuild efforts since—a claim that has stirred separate diplomatic ripples.

Pakistan also dismissed Israeli envoy to India Reuven Azar's label of Islamabad as a 'rogue state,' viewing it as unfounded interference. This comes amid Pakistan's vocal concerns over India's alleged 12,000 km missile push, as reported in prior US intelligence disclosures, which Islamabad claims shifts the regional balance perilously.

The spat reflects enduring frictions in US-Pakistan relations, strained by Islamabad's historical ties to militant groups and its balancing act between Washington and Beijing via the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Pakistan's nuclear opacity, coupled with full-spectrum deterrence doctrine updates, continues to alarm Western observers, even as it insists on restraint.

India has not issued an immediate response to Pakistan's latest remarks, but New Delhi has consistently defended its missile advancements as sovereign rights under international law. Recent tests of hypersonic and submarine-launched systems underscore India's push for triad credibility, amid ongoing border skirmishes with Pakistan and China.

Global watchers see this as emblematic of a multipolar nuclear landscape, where regional rivalries intersect with great-power competition. The US framing elevates Pakistan's capabilities to a homeland threat level, potentially influencing future sanctions or aid restrictions, while bolstering India's position as a counterweight in the Indo-Pacific.

Pakistan's rebuttal seeks to reframe the narrative domestically and internationally, portraying itself as a responsible nuclear steward focused on India-specific deterrence. Yet, with both nations modernising amid economic pressures, the risk of miscalculation persists, particularly in a crisis scenario like the 2019 Balakot airstrikes.

Agencies