Tit-for-tat: India bans import of all Pakistan-originated goods, stops shipping
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Tightening the noose around Islamabad’s neck, India on Saturday banned the import of all Pakistan-originated goods with immediate effect, the media reported.
The Directorate-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said the ban will take effect immediately, as per a May 2 notification.
“This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy,” it said, adding that any exception to this ban will need prior government approval.
In yet another strong step, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways banned Pakistani-flagged ships from entering Indian ports, and also prohibited Indian-flagged vessels from docking at ports in Pakistan.
These restrictions come into force with immediate effect and will remain in place until further notice. The ministry said the decision was taken to protect Indian maritime infrastructure, cargo, and national interests.
The order has been issued under Section 411 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, which aims “to foster the development and ensure the efficient maintenance of an Indian mercantile marine, in a manner best suited to serve national interests.”
“A ship bearing the flag of Pakistan shall not be allowed to visit any Indian port, and an Indian-flagged ship shall not visit any ports of Pakistan,” the ministry stated.
The order has been imposed in the interest of “safety of Indian assets, cargo, and connected infrastructure,” and to support the long-term objectives of Indian shipping. Any exemption, it said, would be “examined and decided on a case-to-case basis.”
The ban is part of a broader series of measures India has implemented after April 22. Investigations have linked the attack to Pakistan-based terror networks.
Pakistan-sponsored Islamist terrorists killed at least 26 Hindu tourists and injured many more at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, escalating tension between the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has since seen been taking a slew of measures to tame Pakistan and announced that the perpetrators will be brought to justice. On its part, Pakistan, as it has been doing for decades, has routinely denied any links to the assault and threatened of retaliation if India takes military action.
Since the attack, India’s punitive measures to cut ties with Pakistan included suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960, cancelling visas of Pakistanis living in India, forcing Pakistani diplomats out of the country and restricting its airspace.
Pakistan too has announced its retaliatory measures against India, including halting all trade, closing its airspace and expelling Indian diplomats. It has warned that any attempt to prevent the flow of water promised under the decades-old treaty would be considered an act of war.
Trade between the two nations has dwindled over the last few years. India imported goods worth only USD 420,000 from Pakistan between April 2024 and January 2025, a sharp plunge from USD 2.86 million of imports over the same period in the previous year, data from the Union Commerce Ministry shows.
Exports from India to Pakistan also dropped to USD 447.7 million between April 2024 and January 2025 from USD 1.1 billion the year before, although many Pakistanis have been buying Indian goods via Dubai and Singapore, among other places.
While US officials including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been urging de-escalation to avoid a broader regional conflict, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reiterated this week that the attack’s “perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice.”
