4 hours ago
Last Updated:May 12, 2025, 17:42 IST
Convicted Pak-American used US satellite data to aid Pakistan’s nuke, defence bodies; image orders near Pahalgam attack raise fresh suspicion.
A Pakistani firm with ties to nuclear agencies illegally obtained US satellite imagery and the US knew it as early as 2020. (IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK REPRESENTATIVE)
A Pakistani geospatial company named Business System Pvt Ltd (BSI), owned by Obaidullah Syed, illegally bought satellite imagery from a US-based company in Colorado and then resold it to the Pakistani government, including agencies linked to nuclear weapons development, news outlet The Print said in a report.
The US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) uncovered this activity in 2020 and found that Syed and his company had deep links with Pakistan’s Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and the Development Complex (NDC). The PAEC and NDC are two powerful arms of Pakistan’s defence and nuclear programme and are responsible for building nuclear weapons and missile systems.
Syed’s actions violated US export laws because he exported satellite imagery and services to Pakistani defence and nuclear entities listed on the US Entity List, which bars such transactions without explicit US government approval.
He failed to obtain the required export licences from the US Departments of Commerce or State, which are mandatory for transferring sensitive or dual-use technology to sanctioned or restricted entities
Syed was jailed in 2022 for violating US export laws, his company BSI was later listed as a partner of Maxar Technologies, one of the top satellite imagery firms based in Colorado. This is concerning because, after becoming a Maxar partner, BSI’s portal showed sudden interest in ordering satellite images of Pahalgam in Kashmir. It should be noted that it was just two months before the terror attack there on April 22, 2025 that killed 26 civilians.
This raised alarm among investigators, suggesting the images may have been used for pre-strike surveillance ahead of the terror attack.
BSI concealed or failed to disclose that the satellite imagery was intended for use by Pakistan’s military and nuclear agencies, which is an act that could be seen as a deliberate violation of US export controls.
The Print said that following the publishing of the report Maxar removed BSI from its partner page and denied that BSI had ordered those Pahalgam images. The news agency highlighted that Maxar is yet to clarify if any due diligence was done before listing BSI as a partner, or if the partnership is formally over.
The investigation also unearthed years of secret email communications and financial transactions between Syed and senior Pakistani defence and nuclear officials that included emails to officers at the PAEC and cheques from the NDC to BSI Pakistan.
BSI employees even shared bank cheques from NDC internally, showing direct financial transactions with Pakistan’s nuclear weapons developers.
This all happened secretly and in direct violation of US federal laws governing the export of controlled technology and services.
Location : First Published:News world Pakistan Firm With Nuke Links Accessed US Tech, Sought Pahalgam Images Before Attack: Report
