Pakistan has sharply rebutted a latest US intelligence evaluation that teams it with adversarial states like Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran over its missile ambitions.
The 2026 Annual Menace Evaluation, authored by US Director of Nationwide Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, warns that Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program “probably may embody ICBMs with the vary able to putting the homeland.” This locations Islamabad below heightened scrutiny from Washington.
In response, Pakistan’s International Workplace dismissed the characterisation as baseless and swiftly pivoted to India’s defence developments. It accused New Delhi of pursuing a missile exceeding 12,000 kilometres in vary, claiming this “raises broader safety considerations past the area.” The assertion frames India’s program as a world risk, far outweighing Pakistan’s personal capabilities.
Pakistan spotlighted three Indian methods in its retort. The Agni-V, already inducted into service, boasts a spread surpassing 8,000 kilometres, putting most of Asia inside attain. This road-mobile, canister-launched missile represents a cornerstone of India’s nuclear triad.
Growth of the Agni-VI, a three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), has been publicly acknowledged since Might 2018. Defence analysts estimate its vary at as much as 12,000 kilometres, enabling strikes throughout Eurasia and into the Pacific. The system stays below testing, with indigenous solid-fuel know-how at its core.
The Ok-5 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) types the third pillar of Pakistan’s critique. Designed for India’s Arihant-class nuclear-powered submarines, it presents a spread of 5,000 to eight,000 kilometres. Pakistan argues that deployment throughout prolonged ocean patrols would enable India to threaten Europe, Russia, Israel, and US Pacific territories from stealthy sea-based platforms.
This deflection aligns with Pakistan’s strategic narrative. Its longest operational missile, the Shaheen-III, tops out at 2,750 kilometres—satisfactory to cowl India however nicely wanting the 5,500-kilometre ICBM threshold outlined by arms management requirements. No Pakistani system but approaches intercontinental attain.
Tensions hint again to December 2024, when the US State Division imposed sanctions on Pakistan’s Nationwide Growth Advanced (NDC) and three personal corporations. These penalties focused procurement of missile-applicable gear, together with maraging metal and carbon fibre, amid considerations over proliferation dangers. Pakistan views such measures as discriminatory.
Islamabad’s invocation of India’s Agni-VI attracts on verifiable details. The Defence Analysis and Growth Organisation (DRDO) has confirmed this system’s development, with prototypes present process floor assessments. Flight trials may start quickly, probably mirroring the Agni-V’s speedy maturation from idea to deployment.
Pakistan contends that sea-launched Ok-5 missiles disrupt India’s “credible minimal deterrence” doctrine. By enabling second-strike survivability from the Indian Ocean, they prolong India’s nuclear attain asymmetrically. This, Islamabad argues, invitations a regional arms race whereas drawing in extra-regional powers.
The US evaluation displays broader anxieties. It notes Pakistan’s pursuit of multi-stage solid-propellant engines and re-entry car applied sciences, probably enabling ranges past 3,000 kilometres. Coupling this with MIRV (a number of independently targetable re-entry car) capabilities may overwhelm missile defences.
India’s silence on Pakistan’s claims is telling. New Delhi sometimes avoids direct rebuttals to such provocations, focusing as an alternative on strategic autonomy. The Agni sequence underscores its no-first-use coverage, emphasising deterrence towards existential threats relatively than offensive posturing.
Pakistan’s manoeuvre seeks to recast Washington as selectively blind. By highlighting India’s longer-range property, it implies US risk assessments favour an Indo-Pacific ally over a counterbalance in South Asia. This echoes longstanding grievances over F-16 sustainment and nuclear sanctions.
The trade underscores escalating missile competitions. India’s indigenous push, by way of initiatives just like the Built-in Guided Missile Growth Program, contrasts with Pakistan’s reliance on imported parts regardless of sanctions. Each nations prioritise cannisterised, road- and sea-mobile methods for speedy response.
An operational Agni-VI would place India amongst a choose membership of ICBM powers, enhancing its strategic depth amid tensions with China. For Pakistan, US scrutiny dangers constraining its deterrence posture towards a conventionally superior rival.
As of March 2026, no official Indian response has emerged. The episode highlights how intelligence reviews can ignite diplomatic salvos, with missile ranges serving as proxies for deeper energy balances in South Asia.
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