India has imposed a ban on the import of all goods originating from or transiting through Pakistan, amid escalating tensions between the two nations following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
According to a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), the ban is effective from May 2.
A new provision has been inserted to the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023 to “prohibit direct or indirect import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan with immediate effect until further orders,” the notification said.
The DGFT emphasised that the import ban has been enforced “in the interest of national security and public policy.” Any exception to the restriction will require prior approval from the government.
Inserting the provision under the heading “Prohibition on import from Pakistan” in the FTP, the notification stated: “Direct or indirect import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, whether or not freely importable or otherwise permitted, shall be prohibited with immediate effect, until further orders.”
Following the Pahalgam attack, India initiated a series of punitive measures aimed at severing diplomatic and economic ties with Pakistan. These include the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, cancellation of visas for Pakistani nationals residing in India, expulsion of Pakistani diplomats, and restrictions on Pakistan’s access to Indian airspace.
In retaliation, Pakistan has halted all trade with India, closed its airspace to Indian aircraft, and expelled Indian diplomats. It has also warned that any attempt by India to obstruct the flow of water under the Indus Waters Treaty would be considered an “act of war”, further escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Bilateral trade between India and Pakistan has sharply declined in recent years. According to data from India’s Ministry of Commerce, imports from Pakistan dropped to just $4,20,000 between April 2024 and January 2025, compared to $2.86 million during the same period the previous year.
This steep decline reflects the deterioration in bilateral relations and the growing impact of political and security tensions.
India’s exports to Pakistan also fell significantly—to $447.7 million between April 2024 and January 2025, down from $1.1 billion in the corresponding period the previous year.
Main exports from India to Pakistan: Cotton, organic chemicals, food products including prepared animal fodder, edible vegetables, plastic articles, man-made filaments, coffee, tea, spices, dyes, oil seeds, dairy products, pharmaceuticals, etc.
Main imports from Pakistan to India: Copper and copper articles, edible fruits and nuts, cotton, salt, sulphur, earths and stones, organic chemicals, mineral fuels, plastic products, wool, glassware, raw hides and skins, etc.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured the nation that those responsible for the Pahalgam attack, along with their conspirators, will face consequences “beyond their imagination”. He asserted that the time had come to dismantle the remaining strongholds of terrorism, adding that the resolve of 140 crore Indians would break the backbone of the perpetrators.
(By arrangement with livemiint.com)
