Trade, Shipping, Mail: India's 3-Pronged Measures Against Pak, Its Response

In a day of fast-paced developments amid tensions after the Pahalgam terror attack, India has banned imports as well as incoming mail and parcels from Pakistan and barred the docking of ships from the country at all Indian ports. Pakistan, on the other hand, claimed it has successfully tested a ballistic missile with a range of 450 km - a step that is being seen by India as a grave provocation, according to sources.

Unveiling what would be the first in a series of measures on Saturday, India said it is banning all imports from Pakistan with immediate effect in the interest of national security and public policy. 

"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. This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy. Any exception to this prohibition shall require prior approval of the Government of India," a notification issued by the Ministry of Commerce, dated May 2, said. 

After the Pulwama attack in 2019, India had imposed a 200% duty on all goods imported from Pakistan, including fresh fruits, petroleum products and cement. 

Then, after last week's terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, the Wagah-Attari crossing had also been closed, bringing trade with Pakistan to a grinding halt because it was the last remaining route for goods from the neighbouring country to flow into India. 

In 2021-22 and 2022-23, India exported goods worth $513.82 million and $627.1 million to Pakistan and imports were to the tune of $2.54 million and $20.11 million, accounting for a very small percentage of its total trade. India's exports to Pakistan between April 2024 and January this year were $447.65 million, while imports were just $0.42 million. 

India's next move, hours later, was to ban the docking of ships bearing the flag of Pakistan at ports in the country. It also said that no Indian-flagged vessel would visit any ports in Pakistan. 

Stating that the objective of the Merchant Shipping Act of 1958 is to "foster the development and ensure the efficient maintenance of an Indian mercantile marine, in a manner best suited to serve the national interests", the government said the order was being issued to "ensure the safety of Indian assets, cargo and connected infrastructure, in public interest and for interest of Indian shipping".

Any exemption, it said, would be decided on a case-by-case basis.

The day's third measure by India was to ban all physical mail and parcels from Pakistan. 

"Government of India has decided to suspend exchange of all categories of inbound mail and parcels from Pakistan through air and surface routes," the Centre said in an order. 

Pak Missile Test

While India's measures were being rolled out, Pakistan claimed it had successfully tested a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 450 km. The Abdali missile, the country said, was part of "Exercise INDUS", a name that could be significant in the current circumstances. 

"The launch was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters, including the missile's advanced navigation system and enhanced manoeuvrability features," the Pakistan army said in a statement.

Sources in India said the move was a dangerous escalation by Pakistan. 

''This planned missile test, under such volatile conditions, is nothing short of a blatant provocation and a desperate attempt to whip up tensions with India... This is a reckless act of provocation and a dangerous escalation in its hostile campaign against India," a source said. 

Earlier steps

Terrorists linked to Pakistani outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba had opened fire in the picturesque Baisaran valley on April 22, killing 25 Indians and a Nepalese national. The Indian tourists who were killed included off-duty officers from the Navy and the Intelligence Bureau.

A day after the attacks, India announced a series of measures against Pakistan, one of the most significant of which was to suspend the key Indus Waters Treaty. The suspension of the pact, which entitles Pakistan to water from three of the six rivers in the Indus system, rattled the country, which said it sees it as an "act of war".

The same day and the day after that, New Delhi also announced that most visas issued to Pakistanis, including medical visas, were being revoked.

In its response, Islamabad, apart from a few tit-for-tat measures, said that it was closing the country's airspace to Indian airlines and that it "shall exercise the right" to put all bilateral agreements - including the key Simla agreement, which recognises the Line of Control - on hold.

India's Message 

In a high-level meeting earlier this week, which was also attended by the chiefs of the armed forces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the forces "complete operational freedom" to decide on the "mode, targets, and timing" of India's military response to the Pahalgam attack.

Echoing an earlier message, PM Modi on Saturday said India will take "firm and decisive" action against terrorists and their backers. 

Speaking during a joint press conference with Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco, the PM said, "We are firmly united in our stance against terrorism. I expressed my gratitude to President Lourenco and the people of Angola for their sympathies to those killed in the Pahalgam terror attack... We are committed to taking firm and decisive actions against terrorists and those who support them. We thank Angola for its support in our fight against terrorism."