Pakistan rubbishes Indian media reports claiming ‘seizure of possible radioactive material’

Islamabad: Pakistan Saturday rubbished Indian media reports claiming “seizure of possible radioactive material” by Indian port authorities.

Responding to questions from the press about reports in Indian media claiming “seizure of possible radioactive material” by Indian port authorities on shipping containers of a commercial vessel loaded from Karachi Port, the Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikahr Ahmed said: “We have noted the reports in the Indian media about ‘seizure of possible radioactive material’ by Indian port authorities at the Mundra Port on containers loaded on a Shanghai bound commercial vessel from Karachi Port.

In this regard, the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant authorities had informed that these were “EMPTY CONTAINERS” being returned to China which were earlier used for the transportation of fuel from China to Karachi for K-2 and K-3 Nuclear Power Plants. Both K-2 and K-3 Nuclear Power Plants and fuel used in these plants were under the IAEA safeguards. The containers were “EMPTY” and the cargo was correctly declared as Non-Hazardous in the shipping documents.

The reporting by the Indian media about “seizure of possible radioactive material” was factually incorrect, baseless, laughable and a usual ploy of the Indian media to malign Pakistan and mislead the international community, he added.

He said the fake reporting by Indian media was indicative of a malafide intent to twist procedural customs issues to bring into disrepute IAEA safeguarded nuclear power program, he added.