India suspends all postal services with Pakistan

India has decided to suspend exchange of all categories of inbound mail and parcels from Pakistan through air and surface routes. 

Amid rapidly deteriorating ties with Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, the Government of India has suspended the exchange of all inbound mail and parcels from Pakistan, both by air and surface routes. 

The Ministry of Communication confirmed the move on Saturday, citing national security concerns and the need for stricter controls on cross-border flows.

The clampdown goes beyond postal services. In a sweeping trade move, the Ministry of Commerce has also prohibited the direct or indirect import and transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan with immediate effect. The decision has been formalised through an amendment to the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023. “This provision shall remain in force until further orders,” the official notification dated May 2 stated.

This comes close on the heels of India banning all Pakistani-flagged commercial vessels from entering Indian ports—a step that further reflects the deepening freeze in bilateral relations.

These measures are part of a broader response to the April terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 people, mostly civilians (Hindu tourists), were killed. Intelligence inputs have linked the assault to Pakistan-based terror outfits, prompting a wave of diplomatic and economic retaliation from India.

New Delhi has strongly condemned Islamabad’s lack of visible action against groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, which continue to operate with impunity from Pakistani soil.

The Pahalgam massacre has reignited calls within India for a zero-tolerance approach towards any form of engagement with Pakistan until concrete steps are taken to curb cross-border terrorism. As a result, postal, trade, and maritime restrictions are expected to remain in place indefinitely.

With diplomatic backchannels nearly frozen and trust at an all-time low, the road to de-escalation appears distant. For now, India’s message to Pakistan is unambiguous: business-as-usual is over.