Pakistan on Saturday contradicted the Indian claims about an item seized and inspected by their authorities on the Pakistan-bound commercial vessel, saying it is an industrial equipment with no military dimension.
In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan has noted the reports about inspection and seizure by the Indian authorities of an item from a Pakistan-bound commercial vessel. In this regard, the Foreign Office had also been approached by the private company in Pakistan which imported the item under question. “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. 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,” the spokesperson remarked.
She explained that the claims regarding the possible military dimension of the held item is factually incorrect as similar furnaces are being used in several industries in Pakistan and the world over.
Earlier on Thursday, China had also rejected the claim that the industrial autoclave seized on the Chinese ship by India could be used for the military purposes, saying it was actually a heat treatment furnace shell system and not a dual-use item under non-proliferation and export regime. “After seeking the information, we know that this item is actually a heat treatment furnace shell system produced by a Chinese company in China. This is not for military use and it is not a dual-use item under non-proliferation and export control,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian had said during his regular briefing.
He was responding to a question about the Chinese merchant vessel Da Cui Yun, carrying an industrial autoclave, seized recently by Indian customs officials at Deendayal Port, formerly known as Kandla Port.
Zhao remarked that the Chinese merchant ship and its owner had declared the item truthfully beforehand to the Indian authorities. “So there is no concealment or false declaration.”
Rejecting the Indian claim that the industrial autoclave could be used to “manufacture a very long-range ballistic missile or satellite launch rocket”, he had said that as a responsible country, China had been strictly fulfilling the international non-proliferation obligations and international commitments.
The Indian media had reported that experts at India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) confirmed that the industrial autoclave seized from the Chinese ship could be used for “manufacturing very long-range ballistic missiles or satellite launch rockets.”
According to Indian media, the ship – bearing a Hong Kong flag – was detained by customs at Gujrat’s Kandla Port while on way to Port Qasim in Karachi, on February 3. The cargo of the Chinese ship was offloaded and kept in a godown at the port, the report said.
