Pakistan rejects Indian claims Karachi-bound Chinese vessel carried military supplies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday strongly rejected the Indian allegation that a detained Karachi-bound Chinese vessel was carrying military supplies in violation of the non-proliferation and export control restrictions.

“Claims regarding the possible military dimension of the held item are factually incorrect,” the foreign office (FO) said in a statement.
“The item under question is a heat treatment furnace casing system which has several industrial applications. It is not listed in any international export control list,” the FO said.
Aisha Farooqui, the spokesperson for Pakistan foreign office, told Arab News on Saturday that “India has time and again resorted to spurious allegations without any basis” in order to divert the world’s attention from “violence and brutalities in Kashmir” and commotion at home. 
“Contrary to what is being claimed, the item was correctly declared in the relevant documentation and there was no attempt to hide or conceal any information,” said the FO.
“Similar furnaces are being used in several industries in Pakistan and the world over,” the statement added.
The Indian authorities detained a Chinese merchant ship MV Da Cui Yun in the first week of February alleging that it carried an autoclave which had been mis-declared in the cargo manifest. It was claimed that the autoclave could be used in manufacturing ballistic missiles and satellite launch rockets.

A team from Indian military research and development officials also examined the suspect cargo

“The Pakistan-bound merchant vessel from China was detained by India, but the autoclave on the ship that India claimed to be material for ballistic missiles is neither military supplies nor dual-use items under non-proliferation and export control,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao said at a media briefing in Beijing on Thursday, adding that China, being a responsible country, abided by international non-proliferation obligations and commitments.

President of Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) Vice-Admiral (r) Khan Hasham bin Saddique told Arab News that the Indian act was in violation of international law and constituted undue interference in the bilateral trade between Pakistan and China.

“Pakistan always respects international law and complies with non-proliferation and export control restrictions,” said Saddique. “The Indian act of stopping a vessel that declared its cargo is an interference in the bilateral trade between Pakistan and China and a breach of international laws,” he said.