In a sensational piece for Foreign Affairs, Vipin Narang and Pranay Vaddi, while underscoring emerging challenges for the United States (US) in the “New Nuclear Age,” dedicate a paragraph to make a striking mention about Pakistan. Citing the “US intelligence agencies”, the authors claim that Pakistan is developing an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) that could reach the continental US.

This is not the first time that a claim about Pakistan’s alleged pursuit of ICBM capability has been made. In December 2024, the Biden administration’s Principal Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) Jon Finer made a similar claim by referring to Pakistan’s alleged testing of large-diameter rocket motors. Following Finer’s claim, I penned a piece arguing that “Pakistan has no rationale to develop long-range missiles that might threaten the US”. I outlined the following arguments to substantiate my thesis: Pakistan’s nuclear program remains exclusively and entirely India-centric, and Pakistan’s current missile ranges are sufficient to cover the entire Indian landmass.

India has huge fissile material stockpiles, a rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal, and above all, declared great power ambitions, which, by fundamental realist logic, make it a potential challenge to the US’s great power status and thus an adversary.

Pakistan’s pursuit of a large-diameter rocket motor is likely aimed at either increasing the payload of the existing missiles or the development of Space Launch Vehicles (SLVs) for its space program. Under its policy of re-orientation to geo-economics, Pakistan is seeking more friends and partners, rather than posing a threat to a strong military might like the US, and adding to its adversaries. The US and Pakistan have a multifaceted partnership that spans the economy, military, counter-terrorism, and people-to-people ties, among........

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