‘Misrepresentation of facts’: Pakistan after India seizes nuclear cargo on ship

The Karachi-bound ship intercepted by Indian agencies at Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva port in January was “carrying commercial” goods and not nuclear materials, Pakistan claimed on Sunday, a day after Indian officials revealed details of the seizure.

The Pakistan Foreign Office stated that the reports of the seizure were marked by “misrepresentation of facts”.

The Pakistan-bound ship from China, CMA CGM Attila, was halted at Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva Port on January 23. Officials told news agency PTI on Saturday that a team of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) examined the consignment, which included a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine, and confirmed its potential use in Pakistan’s nuclear program.

Rejecting this, Pakistan, in a statement, said that the vessel was ferrying a commercial lathe machine for a Karachi-based company.

“This is a simple case of import of a commercial lathe machine by a Karachi-based commercial entity which supplies parts to the automobile industry in Pakistan. Specifications of the equipment clearly indicate its purely commercial use. The transaction was being conducted through transparent banking channels with all the relevant documentation,” the statement said.

Calling it an “unjustified seizure”, the Pak officials said that “relevant private entities are pursuing the matter” and asserted that it as a “violation of international norms”.