India seizes Karachi-bound ship with 'nuclear cargo,' Pakistan responds
Indian security agencies have seized a Karachi-bound ship on suspicion that it was carrying a dual-use consignment that could be used for Pakistan's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The ship from China was stopped at Mumbai's Nhava Sheva port, officials said on Saturday. A day after the development, Pakistan released a statement on Sunday dismissing the claims and stating that the ship seized by Indian agencies was "carrying commercial" goods.
Pakistan rejects India's claim of 'nuclear cargo'
In an official release, the Pakistan Foreign Office said, "This is a simple case of import of a commercial lathe machine by a Karachi-based commercial entity." Islamabad also condemned New Delhi's "high-handedness in seizure of commercial goods." "This disruption of free trade underscores the dangers inherent in the arbitrary assumption of policing roles by states with dubious credentials," it added.
Know about Karachi-bound ship stopped in Mumbai
The Malta-flagged ship, CMA CGM ATTILA, was stopped at the Mumbai port on January 23. Speaking to PTI on Saturday, officials revealed that a Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) team examined the consignment and recovered a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine. Officials suspect that the CNC machine was meant for use in Islamabad's nuclear program.
Here's what Indian security agencies allegedly found
Officials claimed that they recently received a specific tipoff regarding the dual-use consignment from "Shanghai JXE Global Logistics Co. Ltd.," with the consignee identified as "Pakistan Wings Pvt Ltd" of Sialkot. Further examination and probing indicated that the consignment, weighing over 22,000kg, was shipped by "Taiyuan Mining Import and Export Co. Ltd." and was meant for "Cosmos Engineering" in Pakistan.
All you need to know about CNC machines
CNC machines come under the Wassenaar Arrangement, a global arms control regime that seeks to curb the spread of items with dual civilian and military applications. India is among the 42 member countries. It's also worth noting that North Korea used the CNC machine in its nuclear program. Officials stated that their probe revealed numerous discrepancies in the shipping details, like bills, which they claimed indicated potential evasion tactics used to allegedly conceal the actual recipients.
