International tensions: India blocks a ship carrying equipment that can be used in the production of ballistic missiles bound for Pakistan
Indian security agencies have stopped a ship from China bound for Pakistan at Mumbai's Nhava Sheva port on suspicion of containing a dual-use cargo that could be used for Pakistan's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, they told news agency PTI on Saturday.
Customs officials reportedly stopped a Maltese-flagged cargo ship – the CMA CGM Attila – at the port on January 23. The ship was headed to Karachi, Pakistan. The action was taken based on intelligence information.
Officials inspected the shipment, which included a computer numerical control (CNC) machine originally manufactured by an Italian company. A team from Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) also inspected the consignment and certified that it could be used by the neighboring country for its nuclear programme.
Italy was a center of excellence in the creation of numerically controlled machining centers, part of our mechanical excellence which is increasingly in difficulty. CNC machines are programmable multifunction cutters capable of reproducing high-quality pieces starting from an electronically loaded design or directly starting from the original piece. They are indispensable tools for precision mechanics.
Example of a CNC micromechanical machining center
Port officials alerted Indian defense authorities who inspected the heavy cargo and reported their suspicions. Following this, the consignment was seized, officials said. The seizure falls within the scope of "prevention of possible proliferation by Pakistan and China".
The documents, such as bills of lading and other shipment details, state that the consignor is “Shanghai JXE Global Logistics Co Ltd” and the consignee is “Pakistan Wings Pvt Ltd” of Sialkot. The shipment weighed 22,180 kilograms.
However, “an investigation by security agencies suggested that the consignment was shipped by Taiyuan Mining Import and Export Co Ltd and destined for Cosmos Engineering (a Pakistani supplier of defense products) in Pakistan,” officials told the PTI.
We're not at the first episode
This is not the first time Indian port officials have seized dual-use military items shipped from China to Pakistan.
According to PTI, Cosmos Engineering has been on the watch list since March 12, 2022, when Indian authorities intercepted a shipment of Italian-made thermoelectric instruments, once again at Nhava Sheva port.
In February 2020, China supplied autoclaves to Pakistan under the cover of “industrial dryers”. The autoclave was seized from a Chinese ship – Dai Cui Yun – flying the flag of Hong Kong and departing from the port of Jiangyin on the Yangtze River in the Chinese province of Jiangsu, bound for Port Qasim in Pakistan.
The autoclave was probably intended for use in Pakistan's missile program. The seizure has heightened apprehension that Pakistan is recklessly engaging in illicit missile trade and violating the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
Concerns about China's support for Pakistan's nuclear programs
Concerns have intensified over China's support for Pakistan's nuclear and missile programs. Officials said they fear Pakistan could use China as a conduit to buy restricted products from Europe and the United States, masking identities to evade detection. Moreover, there is a strategic cooperation pact between Pakistan and China which alarms New Delhi, which feels surrounded by hostile powers.
Officials said China's assistance to Pakistan manifested itself in two ways: clandestinely supplying sensitive and proliferation-related materials/equipment and acting as a conduit to facilitate the country in acquiring dual-use/military items/equipment from overseas, particularly from Europe and the United States.
The ongoing investigation aims to determine whether Pakistani entities suspected of receiving these dual-use items are supplying them to the Defense Science and Technology Organization (DESTO), responsible for much of the country's defense research and development. Pakistan, the news agency said.
Additionally, China has assisted Pakistan in building civilian nuclear power plants. China has built four 300 MWe nuclear power plants in Chashma and two 1,000 MWe in Karachi, violating Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) guidelines. China plans to build another 1,000 MWe nuclear power plant in Chashma.
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The article International tensions: India blocks a ship carrying equipment that can be used in the production of ballistic missiles bound for Pakistan comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/tensioni-internazionali-lindia-blocca-nave-che-trasportava-attrezzature-utilizzabili-nella-realizzazione-di-missili-balistici-diretta-in-pakistan/ on Sun, 03 Mar 2024 16:51:41 +0000.