- Sunday, February 23, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Shubham Ghosh
THE animosity between India and Pakistan came to the fore once again on Thursday (10) when the former slammed its neighbour saying it is trying to malign its image without verifying facts. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said this in connection with the material which was recently seized in Bokaro in the eastern state of Jharkhand. According to India, the material was not uranium neither radioactive in nature, something over which Pakistan expressed concern and its foreign ministry demanded alleging illegal uranium trade in India.
“Pakistan reiterates its call for a thorough investigation into such incidents and measures for strengthening the security of nuclear materials to prevent their diversion,” Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said.
Pakistan’s allegations came after some media outlets reported about the Jharkhand Police arresting seven people for allegedly possessing and trying to sell ‘mineral uranium’ in the black market. Six kilograms of the unidentified material was seized from them.
MEA spokesperson hits out at Pakistan
In a virtual briefing on Thursday, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi denied Pakistan’s allegations to say: “The Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, after due evaluation and laboratory analysis of the material samples has stated that the material seized is not uranium and not radioactive.”
“The gratuitous remarks about India by Pakistan foreign ministry drawing upon media reports indicate their disposition to malign India without caring to check and verify facts,” he added.
Bagchi also said that India maintains a stringent and law-based regulatory system for internationally controlled items which is reflected in the country’s flawless non-proliferation credentials recognized by the international community.
[With inputs from India News Network]
