Pakistan condemns India’s seizure of goods on Karachi-bound ship, denies military equipment allegation

Police officers stand guard at the main entry gate of Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Islamabad on January 18, 2024. (AP)

• Indian media reported the cargo was seized after Mumbai port got intelligence it contained dual-use military equipment
• Pakistan says a Karachi-based commercial entity was importing machine to build automobile parts which had been seized

ISLAMABAD: The foreign office of Pakistan on Saturday condemned India’s decision to seize commercial goods on a Karachi-bound ship after it docked at the Mumbai port while dismissing reports the cargo contained dual-use, military-grade equipment originating from China.
According to one report published by an Indian media outlet, the seizure was carried out after port officials received specific intelligence about the consignment.
It maintained that that Pakistan was trying to acquire restricted items for military purposes through intermediary companies such as the ones mentioned on the official documents accompanying the cargo.
“These reports are reflective of Indian media’s habitual misrepresentation of facts,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in response to a query about the incident.
“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,” she added. “Specifications of the equipment clearly indicate its purely commercial use.”
Baloch added the international transaction had been conducted through transparent banking channels with all the relevant documentation.
“Pakistan condemns India’s high handedness in seizure of commercial goods,” she continued. “This disruption of free trade underscores the dangers inherent in arbitrary assumption of policing roles by states with dubious credentials.”
She informed the relevant private entities were pursuing the matter after the “unjustified seizure” of cargo.
“Such acts also highlight the growing impunity of certain states in violating international norms and taking arbitrary measures in violation of international law,” Baloch said.