Indian authorities have seized banned chemicals from China being shipped to Pakistan

Indian authorities intercepted a shipment of banned chemicals from China to Pakistan at Kattupalli Port. The consignment contained Ortho-Chloro Benzylidene Malononitrile, raising concerns about potential chemical warfare programs. This follows a similar seizure in March at Mumbai's port.

In a recent development, customs officials in India have intercepted a shipment of a list of chemicals prohibited across the globe at Kattupalli Port in Tamil Nadu. The shipment of chemical material from China to Pakistan had chemicals used in tear gases and riot control and thus caused alarmism on chemical weapon programs.

The seized consignment, which had an estimated weight of 2,560 kg, comprised the following; 103 drums of Ortho-Chloro Benzylidene Malononitrile (CS), a chemical that is prohibited for export from India. The consignment was in transit through sea transport from Shanghai to Karachi onboard the vessel Hyundai Shanghai.

The chemicals were bought by a firm based in Rawalpindi known as Rohail Enterprises for use by the defense department and were imported from China by Chengdu Shichen Trading Co. The consignment was seized on 8 May 2024 while it was transshipping at Kattupalli Port after it set sail from Shanghai on 18 April.

Analysts later described the substance as CS, which is on the list of the Wassenaar Arrangement, an international export control regime. However, while India is a member of this agreement, China and Pakistan are not parties to this agreement.

Leaders believe that this may be a proof of the conclusions on the alleged development of an offensive chemical and biological warfare program by Pakistan with the help of China. The seizure operation was carried under the customs Act of 1962 and the act against unlawful activities of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Delivery Systems of 2005.

This interception has come close on the heels of another event in March, when Indian security agencies at Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva port detained a shipment from China meant for Karachi as it had sensitive material associated with Pakistan’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

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Such occurrences show that there are still issues regarding the tracking and the management of transport of materials that may pose a threat in one country or another especially those that may be used in manufacturing of weapons.