New Delhi

Indian authorities have intercepted and seized a consignment of banned chemical weapons en route from China to Pakistan which has raised concerns about the ongoing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the region. The chemical Ortho-Chloro Benzylidene Malononitrile (CS) is known to be used in riot control and as an incapacitating agent during warfare.

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The consignment originated from Chengdu Shichen Trading Co, a Chinese firm, and was intended for Rohail Enterprises, a Rawalpindi-based defence supplier. 

Weighing approximately 2560 kilogrammes and stored in 103 drums, each containing 25 kg, the shipment was an onboard vessel Hyundai Shanghai that sailed under the Cypriot flag, on April 18, from Shanghai Port, China. On its journey to Karachi, the vessel made a stop at Kattupalli Port in Tamil Nadu on May 8 where Indian customs authorities during a routine check detained the consignment.

The chemical, which is on India's export control list 'SCOMET' (Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies (SCOMET)) as a controlled substance led to further investigation. Once confirmed that the shipment contained Ortho-Chloro Benzylidene Malononitrile, a substance listed under the Wassenaar Arrangement as well, an international arms control regime to which India is a signatory, it was seized. 

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Also read | India seizes dual-use items bound for Pakistan from China

The consignment was seized and held off under two Indian laws - the Customs Act, 1962, and the Weapons of Mass Destruction and Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005.

The discovery of such a large quantity of Ortho-Chloro Benzylidene Malononitrile, bound for Pakistan raises questions and its intended use. This is not the first time, India has seized material bound for Pakistan from China. 

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China has previously been involved in supplying dual-use items and controlled substances to Pakistan in the past as well. Earlier this year, Indian authorities intercepted and seized a consignment of CNC machinery, capable of producing sophisticated components for defence, aerospace, and nuclear applications, at Nhava Sheva Port, Maharashtra, India.

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The machinery was shipped from China, with COSMOS Engineering listed as the consignee, though reports indicated that DESTO, Pakistan’s defence science and technology organization, was the actual end-user. 

In April 2024, the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) sanctioned three Chinese companies for supplying key components to Pakistan's ballistic missile program. The companies sanctioned were Tianjin Creative Source International Trade Co Ltd, Granpect Company Limited, and Xi'an Longde Technology Development Company.