THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, May 3: In a significant move amid rising tensions following the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, India has imposed an immediate and complete ban on all goods coming from or transiting through Pakistan.
The ban, announced by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on May 2, aims to safeguard national security and uphold public policy interests.
The decision introduces a new clause—Para 2.20A—in the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023, titled Prohibition on Import from Pakistan.
According to the official notification, the restriction applies to both direct and indirect imports of all goods of Pakistani origin or those exported via Pakistan, regardless of their previous import status. Any exceptions to this embargo will require prior government approval.
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This new restriction is expected to deal a heavy blow to Pakistan’s already fragile export sector, particularly affecting goods such as cement, textiles, and agricultural produce that depend on limited formal and informal cross-border trade.
While Pakistan had also earlier suspended trade ties with India, analysts note that bilateral trade has been minimal in recent years, contributing just 0.06% to India’s total trade volume.
Trade relations between the two nations have steadily deteriorated since the 2019 Pulwama attack, after which India revoked Pakistan’s ‘most favoured nation’ status and hiked import duties on Pakistani goods to 200%. Since then, commercial exchanges have continued to decline.
From April 2024 to January 2025, India’s imports from Pakistan dropped to a mere $420,000, down from $2.86 million in the same period the previous year. Indian exports to Pakistan also saw a steep fall, plummeting from $1.1 billion to $447.7 million.
