The Chinese engineers, in a perfect show of globalisation, are now finding potentially hundreds of unexploded but “dangerous” bomb shells the Indian fighter jets had pounded Pakistani seaports with during the last full-fledged war the two nuclear-armed neighbouring countries had fought more than four decades ago.
Electioneering in Maharashtra on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendera Modi whereas dubbed Pakistan as an “enemy” country committing cross border violations, the innumerable bomb shells his country’s air force had dropped in 1971 on Pakistan’s strategic installations are still haunting safe shipping in the latter’s territorial waters.
The bomb disposal experts warn of a “dangerous accident”, as local port authorities time to time keep collecting and disposing off unexploded bomb shells that, the port officials believe, are scattered across the country’s vast seabed in the vicinity of Karachi port.
So far, Karachi Port Trust (KPT), the operator of strategically-located Karachi port, has claimed to have found two such bomb shells at sea bottom. Latest of the bomb shells was found on January 4 by a Chinese firm, China Water and Electric (CWE), while undertaking dredging for Pakistan Deep Water Container Port (PDWCP) near Oyster Rocks Breakwater.
The second last unexploded bomb shell was found stuck in the “flow distribution pump pipes” of a Trailer Suction Hopper dredger on October 21st last year.
“Sea waters near coastline and port areas are often regarded as the receiving end of bombs when wars break out,” reads a KPT newsletter, available with Pakistan Today.
Pakistan, it says, is a country where bombardment at coastlines and within the purview of port area have taken place in the past. “Bomb shells fallen in sea ending up in sea beds sometimes explode but those who were not exploded remain in seawaters,” it says, adding that with the passage of years these bombs shells get rusted with sea growth on them.
Seeking anonymity, the KPT officials confirmed to Pakistan Today that the bombs in question were those dropped by Indian air force in 1971 war. The then apparent target of Indian bombardment, they said, was Keamari’s oil installation area the strategic importance of which was beyond any doubt.
“The bomb shells were found in Oyster Rocks area because of the nearby located oil terminals, a hot target for the Indian fighter jets,” the officials viewed.
According to KPT’s newsletter, the latest bomb shell was found during the dredging operations at PDWCP.
Stuck in the teeth of cutter head of the CWE’s “CSD-J08” dredger, the bomb was later brought at PDWCP’s jetty through a boat by the company’s Chief Engineer Wang Kai under the custody of police and other security personnel on duty.
“The safe removal of bomb shell from sea bottom was performed by the bomb disposal team of PNS Himalaya, Manora,” says the newsletter.
The KPT, according to officials, had been defusing and disposing off these Indian bombs through blasting at a safer point. The bomb shell found most recently was blasted in the presence of police personnel at the existing stockpile area of Oyster Rocks Breakwater.
“All the safety measures were taken during the operation,” the KPT said.
Do these decades-old unexploded bomb shells pose any danger to scores of local and foreign vessels keep calling at Karachi port round-the-clock? The bomb disposal experts tend to respond in affirmative.
“You cannot rule out the possibility of a dangerous accident when it comes to explosives,” viewed Sub Inspector Sabir Khan Durrani, in charge of Bomb Disposal Squad.
Durrani said if rusted the bomb shells would definitely not be working normally. “It develops crystal when gets older,” he added.
Explosives, even if rusted after one thousand years, happened to be something that remained dangerous, the expert warned.
“These definitely can be dangerous in case of an accident,” Durrani opined. If heated up for whatsoever reason these bomb shells, the expert warned, could explode themselves anytime. While these lines would go to press, some 14 ships are anchored on the East and West wharves of Karachi port.
In addition, the KPT’s online shipping intelligence shows, at least three vessels are awaiting berthing at the port’s outer anchorage.