Indian intelligence agencies have revealed that the cargo vessel travelling from Karachi to Chittagong—the first such journey between Pakistan and Bangladesh since the latter's liberation war in 1971—transported no contraband items.
Intelligence reports suggest that the ship carried industrial raw materials, food items, and textiles.
“The cargo ship, which covered 2,612 nautical miles from Pakistan, transported items like sodium carbonate or soda ash, magnesium, dolomite, fabrics, potatoes, and onions. Some containers also carried raw materials for the textile industry, motor parts, and clothes,” disclosed an intelligence officer.
The agencies submitted a detailed report to the Ministry of External Affairs, listing the transported goods and raising concerns over the direct maritime trade route, citing security risks associated with the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.
According to the report, the ship carried 115 containers of soda ash, 46 of dolomite, 42 of onions, and 14 of potatoes, among other items.
These goods were imported for private firms, including Square Pharmaceuticals, X Ceramics, Hafiz Corporation, M R Tradings, and Pacific Jeans, with the total cargo weight amounting to 6,337 tonnes.
“Dolomite is utilised in construction, agriculture, steel production, and pharmaceuticals, while magnesium finds use in medicine, food, and cosmetics,” explained another intelligence officer.
The agencies expressed concern over the new maritime trade route, initiated after the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s regime, reportedly backed by a radical Muslim organisation.
The Pakistani High Commissioner in Dhaka, Syed Ahmed Maroof, hailed the development at the Chittagong docks, describing it as a milestone in bilateral trade.
“This marks the first direct cargo route between the two countries in over five decades, bypassing traditional transhipments through Colombo or Singapore. Given this new development, we must closely monitor future shipments,” cautioned the officer.
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