Norway raises alarm over exploitation of dual-use technology by Pakistan

Norway on April 12 raised alarm over unhindered exploitation of dual-use technology by Pakistan in a bid to aid its nuclear programme. While citing a threat assessment report by the Norwegian security agencies, ANI reported that Pakistan’s practice of bypassing all international safeguards in gaining the latest nuclear technology on the pretext of using it for education and health is posing the greatest threat to Norway. In an article in moderndiplomacy, Fabien Baussart said that Norway became the latest country to raise alarm over unhindered exploitation of dual-use technology by Pakistan. 

Norway’s assessment comes after several other countries publicly acknowledged the nuclear threat posed by Pakistan. The agency informed that back in 2020 the German authorities had also disclosed that Pakistan had sought technology for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in order to retain a “serious deterrent potential against ‘arch enemy’ India”. The report provided a detailed account of Pakistan’s efforts to steal information and material about nuclear weapons. 

Further, the Czech Republic in its report titled “Annual Report of the Security Information Sevice for 2019” also drew global attention towards Pakistan misleading the world in procuring internationally controlled items and technologies to aid its nuclear programme. The report even noted that in 2019, the US Department of Justice indicted five persons associated with a Pakistan based front company for operating a network that exported US-origin goods to Pakistan. Baussart said that the network used to conceal the true destinations of goods in Pakistan by showing front companies as the supposed purchasers and end-users. 

Goods exported to Pak without licences: US 

The Norwegian agency said that the US Justice Department statement had disclosed that the goods were ultimately exported to Pakistan’s Advanced Engineering Research Organisation (AERO) and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) without export licences. It said that both AERO and PAEC are on the US Commerce Department’s Entity List, which imposes export licenses requirements for organisations whose activities are found to be contrary to US national security or foreign policy interests. 

Moreover, in the article Baussart wrote that to fulfil its destructive agenda, Pakistan even used the name of its poor public and students. Baussart said that the Pakistan government has repeatedly claimed that it seeks dual-use technologies for the social and economic upliftment of the country by utilising the technology in its health and education sectors. While concluding the article, Baussart wrote that it now remains to be seen whether these disclosures lead to sanctions or new export controls against Pakistan or the country again succeeds in misleading the world by playing victim’s card. 

(With inputs from ANI)