Aug 30, 2009, 12:23 GMT
Islamabad - Pakistan on Sunday rejected a New York Times report that it illegally modified US-built anti-ship missiles to use them for engaging targets on land.
The New York Times cited unnamed US administration and Congressional officials as saying that the United States protested to Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani late June against the alleged alterations in the Harpoon missiles.
'No modification has been made to the missiles under reference,' Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Abdul Basit said in a short statement.
The accusation came after American intelligence agencies detected a suspicious, unannounced missile test by Pakistan on April 23, the newspaper reported.
Pakistan procured the Harpoon missiles from the United States in 1980s during the tenure of then President Ronald Reagan.
Any modification in American-made weapon systems and other military hardware violates the US Arms Export Control Act.
Washington also charged Pakistan with modifying the P-3C Orion land-based maritime patrol aircraft for striking ground targets, according to the New York Times.
The newspaper said regardless of their origin, the weapons would be a threat to Pakistan's arch-rival India, and were likely to trigger a new arms race between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
It quoted a senior US administration official as saying that 'a concerted effort' was on to make Islamabad slow down its conventional and nuclear weapons development programmes.
'Their energies are misdirected,' the official told the newspaper.
The controversial allegation has surfaced at a time when the Obama administration is seeking Congressional approval for 7.5 billion dollars in civilian aid to Pakistan over the next five years.
The dispute could hamper the Pakistan-specific legislation, which is sponsored by Senators John Kerry and Richard G Lugar and Congressman Howard L Berman.
Your Talkback on this Story