Pakistan disputes the ‘political use’ of export control in response to US sanctions

In response to the US move to punish businesses that are purportedly associated with Pakistan’s ballistic missile development, the Foreign Office (FO) disapproved of the “political use” of export control on Saturday.

FO spokesman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch remarked at a news conference: “Such listings of commercial entities have taken place on allegations of links to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme on previous occasions as well without sharing any evidence whatsoever.”

Islamabad, she said, was not aware of the details of the most recent US measures. She also mentioned that in the past, they had encountered numerous cases where listings were made based only on suspicion or even when the items in question were not on any control lists but were still considered sensitive due to catch-all provisions.

According to the spokeswoman, Islamabad has repeatedly stated that these kinds of products have valid civil commercial use. “Therefore, it is crucial to prevent the arbitrary implementation of export controls.”

According to her, in order to achieve socioeconomic progress, key parties must have conversations about a structure that would objectively guarantee access to technology.

“Pakistan has consistently offered to engage in discussions regarding end-use and end-user verification mechanisms to ensure that export controls are not applied discriminatorily against legitimate commercial users.”

Baloch said, “It is a fact that certain nations have had their sophisticated military technology license requirements waived by the same authorities that purport to enforce tough non-proliferation rules. As a result, there is an increase in armaments, which accentuates regional disparities and undermines non-proliferation goals as well as regional and international peace and security.

She stated that Islamabad has repeatedly emphasized the necessity of avoiding the arbitrary imposition of export restrictions and of holding talks among interested parties in order to establish an objective process that would prevent incorrect penalties on technology required only for the sake of socioeconomic development.

“Pakistan is prepared to talk about end-use and end-user verification procedures to ensure that export controls are not applied unfairly to legitimate commercial users.”

It is generally known, she noted, that several nations have had their sophisticated military technology license requirements waived by the same jurisdictions that assert a stringent commitment to non-proliferation rules.

By highlighting military imbalances, she continued, “such discriminatory approaches and double standards are undermining the credibility of non-proliferation regimes as well as the objectives of regional and global peace and security.”

It is important to note that three Chinese businesses and one company located in Belarus were hit with penalties by the US State Department on Friday for allegedly providing supplies to Pakistan’s ballistic missile development.