Pakistani Premier Sharif decries U.S. sanctions on state institution

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday decried the latest U.S. sanctions on four local firms for their alleged involvement in the country's ballistic missile program, asserting that the move has "no justification."

"The sanctions placed upon our National Development Complex (NDC) and other entities have no justification," Sharif told a Cabinet meeting in the capital Islamabad, state-run Pakistan Television reported.

The NDC, an aerospace and defense agency under the Defense Ministry, is among the four firms struck by the U.S. sanctions last week.

"Pakistan has absolutely no intention to have an aggressive nuclear system. It is 100% for Pakistan's defense; nothing else," Sharif further said.

Islamabad has already expressed regret over the U.S. sanctions, saying Washington's "biased" policies have dangerous implications for the strategic stability of the region and beyond.

In September this year, the U.S. also sanctioned Chinese suppliers and a Pakistani entity for their alleged involvement in Pakistan's ballistic missile program.

The sanctions follow a similar U.S. action in April when Washington blacklisted four Belarussian and Chinese companies for supplying missile-related items to Pakistan's long-range missile program.