India bans direct, indirect imports from Pakistan

New Delhi: India has banned direct or indirect import of all goods from Pakistan with immediate effect, the government said in a notification.

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.

India’s goods imports from Pakistan were $0.42 million in April-January FY25 with plants and seeds, dates, figs and map extracts being the top items of inbound shipments.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in the notification said this restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy. The decision follows a terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 in which 26 people were killed.

Any exception to this prohibition will require approval of the government, according to the notification.

Inserting the provision with head “prohibition on import from Pakistan” in the FTP, the DGFT 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”.