Pakistan rejects India's claim about seized equipment.

ISLAMABAD -- The foreign ministry on Saturday rejected India's claim that an item seized from a Pakistan-bound commercial vessel had military dimension, saying it is a heat treatment furnace casing system which has several industrial applications.

Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said in a statement that Pakistan has noted the reports about inspection and seizure by Indian authorities of an item from a Pakistan-bound commercial vessel. The Foreign Office has also been approached by the private company in Pakistan which imported the seized item.

'The item under question is a heat treatment furnace casing system which has several industrial applications. It is not listed in any international export control list. Contrary to what is being claimed, the item was correctly declared in the relevant documentation and there was no attempt to hide or conceal any information,' the spokesperson said.

The Indian authorities had detained Chinese merchant vessel MV Da Cui Yun in the first week of February at Deendayal port, formerly known as Kandla port, alleging that it carried an autoclave which had been mis-declared in the cargo manifest.

The...