By Makhdoom Babar
Editor-in-Chief
(Additional reporting by Sandra Johnson Sara Anderson, Christina Palmer and Zahid Dehlavi)
The US imposition of sanctions on two Indian firms for missile-related transfers to Iran merely some hours after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Bill authorizing US to sell sensitive nuclear technology to India betrayed the moral inconsistency of Bush Administration. The information was withheld from the House until after the vote on the nuclear deal, so it may not affect the results, reveal the comprehensive investigation, carried out by The Daily Mail in this direction. Nonetheless, it seems that US decision makers both Administration and Congress are too obsessed with self-serving India appeasement that it’s a moot point whether any difference would have been made should this be known to the House earlier. Numerous earlier confirmed reports of WMD related proliferation activities of Indian government and private sector personnel and entities are on record. The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that Democratic Representative Edward Markley, head of bipartisan non-proliferation task force rightly lambasted House majority for pouring nuclear fuel on Indian led proliferation fire. Group from which the US wants to get an exemption for its nuclear deal with India was itself founded at US initiation in 1975 out of the concerns about Indian proliferation activities following Indian nuclear explosion of 1974.These investigations suggest that the so called myth of separation of civilian and military nuclear facilities has proven wrong in the Indian case in the past as India used purportedly peaceful civilian CIRUS reactor supplier by the US to India to produce plutonium for nuclear Special weapons. Similarly years, India diverted plutonium from CANDU nuclear reactors for its 1974 and 1998 nuclear tests Canadian government on concessional terms to produce electricity for civilian use provided the reactors. Incidentally while there are some proliferation related charges against Pakistan yet there has never been any charge against it for diverting materials from civilian nuclear facilities to military facilities. The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that the US State Department sanctioned two other Indian chemical companies, Sabero Organics Chemical and Sandhya Organics Chemical in December 2005 for providing missile fuel to Iran. According to The Daily Mail’s findings, the United States, over the last two years, has filed at least eight non proliferation sanctions against at least seven Indian companies and persons. In the latest case the Administration so far remains tight lipped on the names of the companies and the nature of transfers, making one wonder why the cover up. The Daily Mail’s research reveals that last October, David Albright, President, Institute for Science and International Studies (ISIS), in his testimony to the House elaborated deceitful practices of Indian government to circumvent export regulations and legal restrictions in many countries to import banned technology materials and equipments report on Pakistan’s Khusab Reactor Plant, released two days prior to the House vote that was used by pro-India nuclear lobby to tout the Indian case. This is another classical case of selective use of information in the upper echelons of D.C. The Daily Mail’s research indicates that ISIS’ detailed report uncovered a well developed active Indian secret nuclear proliferation network in this 1 regard. When approached by French News Agency, AFP on the report, Albright challenged 10 Bush Administration and Indian ne claim that India had an excellent record of protecting sensitive technology and materials and that it did not engage in illicit nuclear technology trade. According to Albright, India has been leaking uranium Gas Centrifuge Enrichment related technology through its open tendering. It is well known that Iran has been the most interested country in the recent past to acquire Gas Centrifuge technology. Quoting European “Proliferation Early Warning Intelligence Assessment” Albright disclosed that India was amongst the top countries of proliferation concern according to the Intelligence Report. India has code named its Gas Centrifuge Project as Rare Materials Program (RMP) in order to hide the true nature of this secret facility in Mysore. Incidentally India has also kept this facility out of the scope of IAEA scrutiny in its agreement with the US. Dr. Y.S.R. Prasad who later got notorious for his Prasad Chaudary Nuclear Proliferation Network (PCNPN), and sanctioned for his illegal activities by the US State Department under Iran Proliferation Act, founded the front organization of Indian Rare Earths (IRE) Lid to further cover the tracks of RMP. The Indian Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) entrusted numerous sensitive technology and materials commerce related tasks to IRE, which, were successfully executed. The Daily Mail’s findings reveal that IRE is a vital hub in the illicit Indian procurement as well as sale of rare metals, uranium, thorium, noble gases and MOX through a huge network spread across Europe, South Africa. Middle East and Russia. IRE hoodwinked the European export controls by misrepresenting the end use many times using transshipment in contravention to suppliers’ restrictions. It also obtained modern laser technology from Western countries for laser ignited nuclear weapons program for India. According to certain credible researchers, IRE Ltd. is only one of the many companies India has been using for illicit nuclear missile commerce. Many of the companies are still carrying out clandestine sensitive trade through a vast network of Non Resident Indians (NRIs) Diaspora. Indian Department of Atomic Energy used a German Company Rohstoff Einfuhr through NRI mediator Dipak Sharma Schneider for transshipment of 15.18 tons of heavy water from Norway The consignment was flown to Basel in Switzerland by West African airlines. Then, with the addition of six tons of Soviet heavy water, it was flown to Dubai and then to Mumbai India. The Chief Public Prosecutor for Oslo, Anstein Gjengedal, registered a case against the DAE.
Proliferation activities of PCNPN have been unearthed numerous times in past. The Indi-an Rare Earths (IRE) Ltd is only a point in case. Dr YSR Prasad who worked a lifelong with the Indian nuclear establishment has had quite a history of question-able practices. During his frequent visits to the former Soviet Union in connection with nuclear collaboration programme between India and USSR subsequently Russia, Prasad developed an extensive network with the lowly paid Russian nuclear scientists. Many of these scientists were either laid off or were further meagerly paid after Soviet breakup Prasad soon developed a network of nuclear underworld with the help of these Russian scientists who were willing to offer everything from the poorly audited nuclear inventories of Russia and other breakaway Republics. At many of these facilities guards and even scientist remained without salaries for months. CIA Director Porter Goss while speaking to the US Senate Select Committee on 16 February 2005 reported enormous amount of missing or unaccounted nuclear weapons material that could be used to make nuclear bombs.
In words of NM Sampath Kumar former DAE scientist now a US citizen, Prasad was the linchpin of an unholy nexus between unscrupulous business establishments, corrupt officials of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limit-ed (NPCIL) and the ‘sacred cow’ DAE, Indra. NPCIL, which Prasad headed, had become a breading ground for nepotism and sycophancy degenerating to a dangerous cover up culture. Serious irregularities were discovered by audit in the procurement by NPCIL for Kakrapara Atomic Power Station. Fradulent practices were also reported in procurement for Kaiga 1 and 2 power stations in Karnatka and RAPP 3 and 4 Power Stations at Rawatbhata near Kota, Rajasthan. The Daily Mail’s research further indicates that Prasad managed to get an extension in his job through his networking within the Indian nuclear establishment particularly with the blessings of Chairman AEC and Secretary DAE Dr. Chidambaram, despite having reached the age of superannuating in 1998. Nonetheless, Prasad realized that it would be difficult for him to clinch to the Indian nuclear network for long and started looking for other venues. His contacts with Iran in connection with clandestine nuclear cooperation with India proved handy and landed him a job in the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). Prasad left NPCIL on 30 April 2000 but before he managed to manipulate putting his close confidant Chaudary Surendar in his shoes even though Chaudary was also on a two years extension due to expire in August 2000.
The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that Iran’s nuclear programme received a major boost with joining of Prasad. Owing to his resourceful network within the Indian and Russian nuclear circles se pieces of nuclear puzzle started to fall in place at an amazing pace. Prasad’s mastery at Gas Centrifuge Enrichment and reprocessing techniques proved handy. Alarm bells were raised and US put pressure on FAEA to verify certain violations of safeguard obligations by Iran. Thus Prasad unwittingly proved to S be a precipitating factor in the disclosure of Iran’s secret nuclear programme.
The US State Department on 29 September 2004 imposed sanctions on Prasad and his successor in the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, Dr. Surendar Chaudary under Iran Proferation Act 2000 for assisting Iran in enrichment and reprocessing technologies. The obsession of US decision makers with the self serving eulogy of Indian export controls and responsible behavior only fall flat in the face of these undeniable facts that speak for themselves.
Swaraj then joined in the fray, the report added. As opposition MPs raised slogans like ‘Call the PM’ and the treasury benches tried to shout them down, the speaker adjourned the house temporarily, the report said. Pandemonium continued when the house reassembled, with Swaraj heard saying there is disrespect of the house being committed Deputy Chairtech-man K. Rahman Khan failed to pacify the opposition MPs, who continued with their ‘Call the PM’ slogans and advanced to the podium. With his pleas to restore order falling on deaf ears, the chair adjourned the house once again, the report said. In Indian Lok Sabha (lower house) there was an uproar after opposition’s attack on Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, forcing him to adjourn the house on several occasions.
India NDTV channel reported that the NDA’s accusations against Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee caused an uproar leading to multiple adjournments.
As soon as the house met, Left members were on their feet attacking the BJP and its allies for “casting aspersions” on the speaker, the report added. They were objecting to NDA’s attack on the Speaker and a letter written by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Chatterjee in which he had said that the speaker was unable to win confidence of the opposition.
The NDA members retaliater triggering pandemonium in which nothing could be heard, they said.
