Pentagon treads cautiously after official’s missile claims

WASHINGTON: The US adopted a cautious tone on Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme on Thursday, a day after a top White House official claimed the country could acquire capabilities to “strike targets in the United States”.

In a press briefing, the Pentagon press secretary, Maj Gen Pat Ryder, refrained from direct criticism when asked about the US sanctions on Pakistan’s state-owned missile development agency and three of its private vendors.

“We value Pakistan as...