Ship from China to Pakistan stopped in Mumbai; Indian agencies suspect nuke link to consignment

Indian security agencies stopped a Karachi-bound ship from China at Mumbai's Nhava Sheva port suspecting a dual-use consignment that could aid Pakistan's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, officials said on Saturday, reported PTI. Customs officials, acting on intelligence input, intercepted the Malta-flagged merchant ship, CMA CGM Attila, en route to Karachi on January 23. The consignment, featuring a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine manufactured by an Italian company, was thoroughly inspected during the operation. A team from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) examined the consignment and verified its potential use in the neighbouring country's nuclear programme. Cosmos Engineering, a Pakistani defence supplier, has been under scrutiny since March 12, 2022, when Indian authorities intercepted a shipment of Italian-made thermoelectric instruments at the Nhava Sheva port.