Pahalgam attack fallout: India bans all direct, indirect imports from Pakistan

India has banned direct or indirect import of all goods from Pakistan with immediate effect, according to a notification of the commerce ministry.

A provision in this regard has been added in 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", it said in the notification dated May 2.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in the notification said this restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy.

Any exception to this prohibition will require approval of Government of India.

Inserting the provision with head "prohibition on import from Pakistan" in the FTP, it said, "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".

The decision follows a terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed on April 22. The relations between the two nations soured as terror links to Pakistan emerged. 

India acted and suspended the Indus Water Treaty, a crucial water-sharing deal signed by the two countries in 1960, citing “sustained cross-border terrorism”.

The Wagah-Attari border, the sole trade route between India and Pakistan, had already been closed in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. 

India also cancelled all visas of Pakistani nationals. Those living in India were given a deadline to leave Indian soil. This included those medical visas, too. Pakistan, in response, had threatened to suspend all bilateral pacts with India, including the Simla agreement.