Why the US is sceptical of Pakistan acquiring an ICBM?

Sometimes, common sense tells you more than unnecessary academic gibberish.

Pakistan is an Islamic nation. The Clash of Civilizations theory, widely accepted in Western circles, clearly warns that Pakistan represents a threat to Western culture, values, and civilization. The trajectory of Pakistan shows increasing radicalization and Islamism with each passing decade, raising growing concerns for both Israel and the United States. After its nuclear tests in 1998, Pakistan even referred to its nuclear weapon as an "Islamic bomb."

Western societies are usually adept at identifying threats in a timely manner. You are right—Pakistan currently does not have the advanced missile systems needed to target Israel or the United States with pinpoint accuracy. But that does not mean it won’t develop those capabilities in the future. China could easily assist Pakistan in building such technology. In the short term, this would help China keep India occupied, and in the long term, it would create an additional strategic threat for the United States.

You may ask: why is India’s missile program not viewed with the same skepticism? The answer is simple. India has embraced modernization—essentially Westernization—as the future of humanity. For example, while Pakistani women are increasingly made to conform to 7th-century Arabian norms (suppressed, covered, and Islamized), Indian and Chinese women are adopting styles and values more aligned with Western societies. Admittedly, some traditional and radical communities in Kashmir and northern India still resist this, but the direction is irreversible—just like India’s economic liberalization since 1991. That process cannot be reversed now.

The point is: India and Western society have no fundamental ideological clash. We share common goals for humanity. Of course, disagreements exist—but India’s security depends on its territorial integrity and unity. Anyone who threatens this internally will eventually be neutralized. The West can go to war with India if it chooses, but it cannot balkanize India or China the way it has done in parts of the Middle East through invasions and bombings.

India’s missile development is rooted in the principle of strategic parity—if the US, Russia, and China possess advanced technologies, then a country representing nearly 20% of the global population should also have them.

Currently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created unnecessary complications for India’s growing alliance with the West. However, we still need Russia to shield ourselves from Western pressure on several issues, particularly through its veto power at the UN.

Pakistan, on the other hand, enjoys China’s full backing. Beijing openly protects Pakistani military proxies like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad—now operating under the TRF banner—from international sanctions. If India completely alienates Russia and the West turns against us, we could find ourselves fully isolated on the international stage.

Finally, Pakistan already has missiles capable of targeting every corner of India. So why is it developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with a range of up to 8,000 miles? That clearly reflects long-term strategic planning by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and its increasingly radicalized military establishment.

(Mukesh Devrari)