WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has added seven Pakistani companies to a list of foreign entities that presumably pose a significant risk to the national security and policy interests of the United States by allegedly engaging in nuclear trade.
The move could undermine Pakistan’s ambition of joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an elite club of countries that can trade fissile materials and nuclear technologies, according to a report by www.dawn.com.
The move forms a series of decisions aimed at putting a squeeze on Pakistan.
The list, prepared by the US Bureau of Industry and Security, declares that all seven companies are “reasonably believed to be involved, or to pose a significant risk of being or becoming involved, in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States”.
In all, a total of 23 entities added to the list that was published in the US Federal Register this week. Besides Pakistani companies, the list includes 15 entities from South Sudan and one from Singapore.
All 23 entities now face stringent export control measures, which could prevent them from conducting international trade.
Among the seven Pakistani companies three are listed for “their involvement in the proliferation of unsafeguarded nuclear acti¬vi¬ties that are contrary to the national security and/or foreign policy interests of the United States”.
Two are accused of procuring supplies for nuclear-related entities already on the list and the remaining two are accused of acting as fronts for listed entities. An eighth Pakistani entity is based in Singapore.
The End-user Review Committee (ERC) of the US Department of Commerce determined that Mushko Logistics Pvt. Ltd., Singapore, and Mushko Electronics Pvt. Ltd., Pakistan, be added to the list on the grounds that these entities procured items for several Pakistani entities on the entity list.