Not Iran, The Real Threat Is Pakistan… Tensions Rise After US Report, How India's Warning Is Proving True

India.com

7 days ago

New Delhi: The maps in Washington have shifted focus. The chatter inside intelligence rooms is not about Tehran anymore. It is Rawalpindi. A fresh report from U.S. intelligence agencies has triggered serious alarm. Hidden under radar, Pakistan is reportedly building an intercontinental ballistic missile. It is said to be nuke-tipped that could reach mainland America.
Until now, Iran had held the spotlight. But this new revelation has brought Pakistan's nuclear ambitions straight into global crosshairs. For India, it is vindication. For the United States, a potential crisis. For the region, a ticking clock.
A report quoting U.S. sources claims that Pakistan's new missile has crossed theory stage. It is being developed quietly – away from public eyes. It is capable of traveling over 5,500 kilometers. That is ICBM territory. A range wide enough to strike far beyond Delhi. All the way to Washington.
The report was published in Foreign Affairs – an American magazine. It says the missile project picked up speed after India's Operation Sindoor rattled Pakistan's military brass. With Chinese help, Pakistan is now said to be acquiring the components and know-how needed to leapfrog its existing arsenal.
What This Means for America
Washington is watching closely. Senior officials say that if Pakistan achieves the ICBM capability, it will be reclassified as a nuclear threat like North Korea, China and Russia. There will be no middle ground.
The United States has already imposed sanctions. Last year, it froze assets and blocked trade with Pakistan's National Development Complex and its key missile contractors. That was not random. It came after evidence emerged of Islamabad sourcing sensitive tech from foreign markets.
For years, Pakistan insisted its nuclear weapons were for deterrence against India. Nothing more. No ICBMs. No aggression. Just defense. But this new intelligence contradicts that script. With Shahin-III already reaching over 2,700 km, experts believe Pakistan is preparing to extend its reach far beyond South Asia.
And there is a motive. If Pakistan owns a missile that can hit the United States, it will change the rules. It will act as a shield. It will limit U.S. involvement in any future India-Pakistan conflict. That is the strategy. Quietly but clearly.
Why India Is Saying 'We Told You So'
New Delhi has long raised concerns. That Pakistan cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons. That its command chain is fragile. That terror groups work hand in glove with rogue military elements. After recent air strikes inside Pakistan, India also neutralised nine terror camps and targeted 11 airbases. Pakistan reportedly fired a Fateh-II hypersonic missile. India shot it down.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other top Indian leaders have called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor Pakistan's nuclear stockpiles. The concern is not hypothetical. It is urgent. One weapon in the wrong hands could mean catastrophe.
While the world debated strikes on Iran, Pakistan was quietly reshaping its arsenal. The fear is not merely the missile. It is what surrounds it – terror cells, sleeper agents and political instability. If these missiles fall into the wrong hands, no country is out of reach. No continent immune.
According to global estimates, Pakistan currently has around 170 nuclear warheads. It is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It also has a history of proliferation. That is what makes the new report even more chilling.
The ICBM threat from Pakistan is no longer whispers. It is a documented risk. A weapon in the making. America now faces a choice. Ignore and risk a future crisis. Or act. India, meanwhile, continues to say the same thing - Pakistan's nukes are not only a South Asia's problem. It could soon become the world's.