A recent report by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global body that keeps a close eye on how money is used for dangerous purposes, has revealed something very serious. It talks about a shipment of high-tech equipment that can be used to make powerful missiles. This equipment was being secretly sent to Pakistan, but it was caught at an Indian port in 2020.
The cargo started its journey from Jiangyin port in China and was supposed to reach Port Qasim in Karachi, Pakistan. But before it could reach its destination, it was stopped at the Kandla port in India. What raised alarm was the nature of the cargo – a huge machine called an autoclave. This is not just any machine. It’s a special kind used in making the motors of missiles and other high-energy materials.
Authorities found that the shipping papers had been filled out wrongly. The documents did not mention what the item truly was. This made it seem like the equipment was just regular industrial machinery. However, a deeper investigation revealed that the real buyer of this machine was Pakistan’s National Development Complex (NDC), an organization responsible for developing long-range ballistic missiles.
According to FATF, this equipment is part of a category called “dual-use” goods. That means it can be used for normal industry but also has military uses, especially in making weapons of mass destruction like ballistic missiles. FATF made it clear that such sensitive items are listed under strict international controls, including those by India and other countries.
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FATF Finds More Than Just One Problem
FATF’s report, titled ‘Complex Proliferation Financing and Sanctions Evasion Schemes’, went beyond just one shipment. It connected this case to a bigger problem – the global risk of dangerous technologies being moved secretly to countries or groups that could use them to cause harm.
The report also mentioned another worrying issue: state-supported terrorism. This means governments may be directly or indirectly helping in funding terrorist groups. FATF raised this point after a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 22. The attack killed 26 people, most of them innocent tourists.
FATF strongly condemned the violence and pointed out that such attacks don’t just happen without money. Someone has to fund them, and that money must move through financial systems. The FATF believes that when states are involved in these kinds of actions—by hiding shipments or helping with money transfers—it’s a very serious matter.
The group said that both terrorism financing and proliferation financing are global threats. These activities not only endanger lives but also shake the safety of the entire international banking and financial system.
India May Take Diplomatic Action
Sources from Indian government circles suggest that this new FATF report may become a strong point in India’s efforts to bring Pakistan back onto the FATF grey list. This list includes countries that are found to have problems in controlling terrorism financing and illegal trade of weapons technology.
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India is expected to use the findings of the report in upcoming meetings of the Asia Pacific Group (APG) in August and the FATF plenary session in October. Officials believe that the detailed evidence in the FATF report—including mis-declared shipping documents and the link to Pakistan’s NDC—will support their claims.
What makes the case even stronger is the involvement of a Chinese ship in this operation. The ship, named Da Cui Yun, sailed under a Hong Kong flag and caught the attention of Indian intelligence due to its suspicious behavior. Once the ship was searched, Indian customs found a large pressure chamber, around 35 to 40 feet long. It looked like a giant pipe but was later confirmed to be useful in building missile parts.
Because of how serious the discovery was, India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) joined the investigation. However, officials chose not to speak publicly at the time, due to the national security concerns involved.