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Chemical weapons inspectors visit plant in Pak.

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD April 30. A three-member team of inspectors of the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Tuesday conducted the much-publicised inspection of a fertilizer plant on the outskirts of Karachi on Tuesday.

The news of the visit of the weapons inspectors had triggered alarm bells in Pakistan. A news report that weapons inspectors from the United Nations were visiting Pakistan to ensure that Pakistan was not violating the Chemical Weapons Convention added to the anxiety.

The Pakistan Foreign Office was compelled to issue a long note explaining the circumstances under which the inspections were taking place and that they were ``routine''. To drive home the point it said that 1400 such inspections had been undertaken all over the world.

On the outskirts of Karachi, the OPCW officials carried out a day-long inspection of the joint-venture FFC Jordan Fertilizer Company. Earlier, the Director-General of Pakistan Foreign Office on disarmament, Tipu Sultan, told reporters that, ``this inspection will benefit Pakistan as it will endorse our credibility as a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993.''

Although he claimed that this was the first such visit to a plant in Pakistan, the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, later told reporters that ``this was not the first time. They had come even before, probably in 2001-2002.''

But Mr. Sultan was categorical that it was the first visit and he was ``not concerned over the timing of the inspection because Pakistan has nothing to hide.''

He emphasised that the officials were not chemical weapons inspectors and said that they were here to check safety standards, environment and consumption of the chemicals imported for the plant. Over 150 countries, by virtue of their CWC membership, had agreed to allow verification of their chemical industry.

The general manager of the plant gave the inspectors a detailed briefing. Pakistan is entitled to have a look at their report before they submit it to their organisation.

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