India halts all inbound mail, parcel exchanges with Pakistan

New Delhi

India announced on Saturday the suspension of all inbound mail and parcel exchanges with Pakistan through both air and surface routes, according to a statement from Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. The Ministry of Communications and India Post also shared this update via Twitter. This move follows another action by the Indian government earlier in the day, imposing a complete ban on imports from Pakistan. The ban affects the direct or indirect import and transit of all goods originating from Pakistan, effectively halting bilateral trade.

The ban is expected to reduce India’s imports from Pakistan, which currently total around half a million US dollars annually, to zero. Ajay Srivastava, Founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), explained that India’s imports from Pakistan were already very low, with the ban being largely symbolic. He also noted that India’s imports had dwindled further after the heavy tariffs imposed following the 2019 Pulwama attack.

This latest decision comes in the wake of the deadly Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives and escalated tensions between the two countries. In addition to the import ban, India has taken several diplomatic measures, including closing the Integrated Check Post at Attari, suspending the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme, and reducing the number of diplomatic officers in both countries. The government has also halted the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the attack.