Why Pak-Bound Ship from China Stopped at Mumbai Port

New Delhi: Indian security agencies recently halted a Karachi-bound ship from China on the suspicion that it contained a dual-use consignment – weighing 22,180 kilogrammes – that could be used for Pakistan’s nuclear and ballistic missiles programme. Both China and Pakistan have denied that sensitive components were being transferred on the seized ship.The customs officials, based on an intelligence input, stopped the Malta-flagged merchant ship – CMA CGM Attila – at the Nhava Sheva port on January 23 and inspected the consignment and found a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine, originally manufactured by an Italian company. CNC machines are basically controlled by a computer and produce a scale of efficiency, consistency and accuracy not possible manually. These are often used in missiles. These machines have been restricted under the Wassenaar Arrangement – an international arms control agreement which restricts the spread of tech which have civil and nuclear applications. India is among the 42 member countries that exchange information on transfers of conventional weapons and dual-use goods and technologies. According to experts, the equipment would be useful in manufacturing critical parts for Pakistan’s missile development programme. A Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) team has inspected the consignment and certified its possible use in Islamabad’s nuclear programme.

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