Thaindian News

Washington, April 16(ANI): Pakistan remains an active procurer of nuke dual-use goods and continues with its illicit nuclear trafficking efforts despite publicly claiming to be a responsible nuclear nation, a leading US thinktank has said.

“Pakistan remains an active procurer of nuclear dual-use goods and utilizes highly sophisticated networks to obtain what it needs. Pakistan publicly claims to be a responsible nuclear nation and says it wants a civilian nuclear trade deal as a result. Yet, its illicit nuclear procurement efforts remain steadfast and belie its claims of acting like a responsible nation,” the Institute for Science & International Security has said.

As an ally, the United States should insist that Pakistan stop its illicit nuclear trafficking activities and prove that it is truly committed to the global non-proliferation norms and laws, it added.

The ISIS took note of the case of Pakistani national Nadeem Akhtar, who is in US custody and charged with nine counts of export control, money laundering, and conspiracy-related violations for exports of “items that are used directly or indirectly in activities related to nuclear reactors and the processing and production of nuclear-related materials.”

The case study shows that Pakistan also “appears to hold or threaten to hold its procurement agents accountable for delays and failures to obtain needed goods, a sign of how confident Pakistan appears to be in obtaining goods despite knowing that its agents are violating U.S. laws,” saidthe thinktank.

The ISIS also stressed the need to improve US government/industry cooperation and information sharing to detect illicit procurement networks.

This cooperation should encourage more corporate diligence about checking the bona fides of a customer and include the US government sharing more information about current illicit procurement schemes, it said, noting that it can take years for a smuggling network to make a mistake that authorities find suspicious enough to investigate, leading to the busting of the network.

“Regular communication with the US government can help detect illicit procurement networks and prevent their success.The US government should develop a procedure to tip companies about suspicious trading companies, as is done in Britain and Germany,” the ISIS said. (ANI)