India bans Pakistan imports, suspends mail as tensions spike
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalate with trade bans, diplomatic expulsions, and communication breakdowns
NEW DELHI (MNTV) – India has intensified measures against Pakistan, banning imports and transit goods from the neighboring country while barring Pakistani ships from its ports.
This escalation follows the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 26 people dead, most of them tourists.
The ban, effective immediately, was announced by India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), citing “national security and public policy” as the basis for the decision.
India has accused Pakistan of being involved in the Pahalgam attack, a charge Islamabad vehemently denies, calling for an impartial international probe into the attack.
Pakistan also warned of potential Indian military action, stating it has “credible intelligence” of an imminent incursion.
Pakistan has suspended border trade, expelled Indian diplomats, and closed its airspace to Indian carriers.
Islamabad has also cautioned that any disruption to water sharing under the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty would be considered an act of war.
Both nations have also banned each other’s flag carriers from accessing their ports.
A statement from India’s Directorate General of Shipping emphasized the need to protect “Indian assets, cargo, and infrastructure.”
Pakistan’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs mirrored this move, citing “maritime sovereignty” and national security concerns.
Economic and diplomatic ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors have steadily deteriorated.
Trade between the two countries has been minimal since August 2019, when Pakistan downgraded relations in response to India’s revocation of Kashmir’s special constitutional status under Article 370.
The latest measures extend to communications.
India announced it has suspended all inbound mail and parcel exchanges with Pakistan.
The move was formalized in a public notice from India’s Ministry of Communications, shared on social media by Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Mail services between the countries have faced disruptions before, particularly following the 2019 Kashmir decision.
While Pakistan briefly resumed postal exchanges later that year, parcel services have remained suspended since then.
Amid rising tensions, Pakistan made a rare concession earlier this week, allowing 150 Afghan trucks carrying goods for India to cross the Wagah Border, alleviating weeks of gridlock.
As both nations adopt tit-for-tat measures, the international community watches anxiously, wary of the potential for escalation.
The ongoing hostilities underscore the fragility of peace efforts in one of the world’s most volatile regions.
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