EXCLUSIVE: China's Wuhan lab operating “covert operations” in Pakistan, creating "anthrax-like" pathogens
The KlaxonJuly 23,2020ANTHONY KLAN
Pakistan
and China have entered a secret three-year deal to expand potential bio-warfare
capabilities, including running several research projects related to the deadly
agent anthrax, according to multiple intelligence sources.
In
the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak on Chinese soil, China’s now infamous
Wuhan Institute of Virology has signed the covert deal with Pakistan military’s
Defense Science and Technology Organization (DESTO), to collaborate research in
“emerging infectious diseases” and advance studies on the biological control of
transmitted diseases.
According
to highly credible intelligence sources, the program is being entirely funded
by China and is formally titled the “Collaboration for Emerging Infectious
Diseases and Studies on Biological Control of Vector Transmitting Diseases”.
Intelligence
sources, including from the Indian subcontinent, have told The Klaxon they
have serious concerns about the secret project, which involves China testing
biological agents outside its borders in an apparent bid to minimize the “risk
of drawing condemnation from the international community”.
“DESTO
has been engaged in various dual-use research projects related to anthrax under
a covert biological weapons program,” one senior intelligence source said.
The
source said China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology had “lent all financial,
material and scientific support for the project”.
The
Wuhan Institute of Virology has drawn the international spotlight in recent
months because the Coronavirus is thought to have originated in Wuhan.
There
had been speculation the disease may have emerged from that laboratory, however
most experts have since discounted the theory.
The
covert China-Pakistan project has conducted “successful soil sampling tests” to
isolate Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT), which has a “striking similarity” to
Bacillus Anthracis – or anthrax – The Klaxon is told.
“Considering
the striking similarity between BT and Bacillus Anthracis, a classified
bio-warfare agent, (Pakistan’s) improved know-how in handling the bacteria
could enrich a potential offensive biological program,” one source said.
Pakistan
had been provided with the reagents for Bacillus Thuringiensis by the Wuhan
Institute of Virology.
The
Wuhan lab was providing “extensive training on manipulation of pathogens and
bio-informatics” to Pakistani scientists “to help Pakistan develop its own
virus collection database”.
“This
could help Pakistan enhance its capability of genetic identification of
viruses, access to dangerous microorganisms, and use of genomic tools for
research and infectious diseases,” an intelligence source told The Klaxon.
The
secret project was “detached from supervision of civilian universities or
government health departments in Pakistan” and was structured so as to allow
“unspecified” future operations.
The
agreement “clearly outlines that the cooperation is not necessarily limited to
stated objectives” and “new thematic research to monitor potential new diseases
can be added by either party”, a source said.
“DESTO has been engaged in various dual-use research projects related to
anthrax under a covert biological weapons program”
—
Intelligence sources
One
security expert, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Klaxon that
India and key western intelligence agencies viewed China’s involvement in the
project as being “driven chiefly by its agenda to engage Pakistan against
India”.
“China’s
keen interest in the project is driven chiefly by its agenda to engage Pakistan
against India and to conduct potentially dangerous experiments on foreign soil,
without subjecting its own land and people to risk,” the expert said.
The
plan was part of a move by Beijing to “designate Pakistan a destination for
hazardous bio chemical research” while “evading use of its own territory for
such activities”, which “stand the risk of drawing criticism and condemnation
from the international community”.
One
example was a proposal to test a Coronavirus vaccine, made by Chinese
state-owned company Sinopharm, on Pakistani citizens.
The
China-Pakistan biological project had already undertaken experiments on the
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV), sources said.
CCHFV
is a rapid-onset fever virus that causes death in about 25% of cases and is
similar to the Ebola virus.
CCHFV
is categorised as a “class-4” microorganism – the highest possible risk
category.
Class-4
microorganisms, which also include the Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses, are
those which can kill humans, can easily travel from one person to another and
for which there are no known treatments or vaccines.
Pakistan
is allegedly carrying out tests on CCHFV in laboratories which are not equipped
to handle Bio-Safety Level-4 diseases.
“Under
these circumstances, concerns over manipulation of class 4 pathogens (and the
associated) bio-safety issues cannot be overlooked,” an intelligence expert
told The Klaxon.
Biological
weapons have traditionally been unwieldy as they spread easily and are
difficult to target at specific populations.
However
the threat of biological warfare has grown considerably in recent years, and
experts have warned China is heavily involved in DNA research that could
potentially enable a biological weapon to specifically target - or conversely
to be ineffective against - people of specific races.
While
theories of Coronavirus emerging from the Wuhan Institute of Virology have been
largely dismissed by experts, serious concerns have been raised about the
safety standards at the Wuhan lab more generally.
In
particular, there are concerns the lab is not equipped to handle class-4
diseases, despite claiming to be class-4 compliant.
Intelligence
sources told The Klaxon there were concerns the Wuhan Institute of
Virology had also established the Institute of Medical Biology in Kunming, in
China’s southern Yunnan province.
There
were concerns the Kunming facility, which is controlled by the Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, was also handling class-4 diseases without proper
protections, sources said.
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