The United States on Wednesday sanctioned four Pakistani entities, including the state-owned flagship aerospace and defense agency — National Development Complex (NDC) — on charges of contributing to nuclear-armed Islamabad’s long-range ballistic missile program.
Surrounding this backdrop, a claim has gone viral stating,” India lobbied the US for sanctions on 4 Pakistani companies regarding the missile program”
Following this other users were also found sharing the homogeneous claims.
Fact Check
Upon investigation, we found the claim to be false. We checked the US Department of State‘s official website, where we found a Press Release dated 18 Dec 2024, informing that in light of the continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan’s long-range missile development, the US is designating 4 entities for sanctions under Executive Order (E.Othe.) 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
We also found a statement from U.S. Spokesperson Matthew Miller, who informed on Dec 19, 2024, “Today, the United States is designating four entities that are contributing to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program. We have been clear and consistent about our concerns, and we will continue to engage constructively with Pakistan on these issues.”
Furthermore, an NDTV World report also informed about the 4 sanctioned Pakistani companies. The U.S. Department of State, in a statement, mentioned that NDC—responsible for Pakistan’s ballistic missile program—has worked to acquire items to advance Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program. The other 3 companies—Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, and Rockside Enterprise—have supplied equipment and missile-applicable items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program, including its long-range missile program.
Neither the official statement nor media reports mentioned that India lobbied the U.S. for these sanctions.
Conclusion
Thus from the fact check, it is clear that the viral claim is False. Official statements from the U.S. Department of State confirm that the sanctions were a unilateral decision by the US based on concerns about Pakistan’s ballistic missile program. No official or credible media sources have mentioned any involvement by India in lobbying for these sanctions.
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