Pakistan bans imports from India; Delhi halts postal correspondence.
The government of Pakistan has formally prohibited the importation of all products produced from India, a significant action indicative of the intensifying hostilities between the two nations.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Commerce released an official announcement, citing national security and public interest as the principal justifications for the decision.
The prohibition has been instituted pursuant to Sub-section 3 of Section 3 of the Import and Export Control Act of 1950. It forbids the importation of all commodities from India, irrespective of the mode of transport – maritime, terrestrial, or aerial.
The prohibition additionally encompasses Indian-origin products passing via Pakistan, along with shipments from other nations destined for India but routed via Pakistan. This extensive prohibition seeks to terminate any business activities associated with India through Pakistani territory.
Restricted exemptions
However, the Ministry of Commerce has clarified that the new order will not apply to letters of credit (LCs) issued prior to the notification, nor to shipments for which bills of lading were issued before the enforcement of the ban.
India Officially Halts Postal Exchange with Pakistan
Meanwhile, India has officially halted all postal and parcel exchanges with Pakistan via both air and land routes, citing cross-border links to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack last month that claimed 26 lives.
The Department of Posts, under the Ministry of Communications of India, has issued an order suspending “the exchange of all categories of inbound mail and parcels from Pakistan via air and surface routes.” The mandate has been disseminated to all postal circle leaders nationwide.
Lakshmikanta Dash, deputy director general (International Relations and Global Business) at India Post, confirmed the development, stating: “The Government of India has decided to suspend the exchange of all kinds of postal mail and parcels from Pakistan via both air and land routes.”
Background of postal suspension
Despite the substantial suspension of postal services between India and Pakistan since 2019, Saturday’s action is the inaugural formal written prohibition enacted by New Delhi. The exchange was initially halted in August 2019, when Pakistan “unilaterally ceased accepting postal bags from India” in response to the Indian government’s decision to abolish Article 370, which conferred special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Postal services were temporarily reinstated in November 2019, but were then halted again by Pakistan in 2020. Since that time, India has maintained its position without imposing any legal limitations – until now.
Saturday’s instruction signifies a substantial strategic shift and indicates increased diplomatic tension, as India attributes responsibility for the latest terror assault in Pahalgam to Pakistan.
