India bans all imports from Pakistan over security concerns

NEW DELHI: India has imposed an immediate ban on all imports from Pakistan, citing national security concerns, Indian media outlets reported on Saturday.

An official notification from India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, issued on Saturday, states:

“Prohibition on Import from Pakistan. The direct or indirect import, or transit, of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, whether freely importable or otherwise permitted, shall be prohibited with immediate effect until further orders. This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy. Any exceptions to this prohibition will require prior approval from the Government of India.”

The move comes amid the growing tension between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack in Indian Occupied Kashmir which claimed lives of 26 people.

In response to the attack, the Modi-led government has taken several diplomatic steps, including closing the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, suspending the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals (giving them 40 hours to leave India), and reducing the number of diplomatic officers at both nations’ High Commissions.

India has also suspended participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960.

Soon after the incident, India accused elements in Pakistan of being behind the attack, but no concrete evidence has been presented to support these claims.

Earlier, former head of India’s intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Amarjit Singh blamed Indian security agencies for the Pahalgam attack and downplayed the possibility of war between the two nuclear-armed nations.

In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Amarjit Singh said that the Pahalgam attack occurred due to the failure of Indian agencies, as there was hardly any security presence at the site.

The former RAW chief also downplayed the possibility of a full-scale war between India and Pakistan, saying that such threats are often used as a form of intimidation.

“War is the last bad option.”

The former RAW chief said that the current atmosphere between Pakistan and India is somewhat bad, but there are other ways to fix it, such as back-channel talks.