NEW DELHI: India said it has banned the import of goods originating from or transiting via Pakistan as diplomatic tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations flared in the wake of an attack on tourists in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) last month.
India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade in a notification said the ban will take effect immediately.
“This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy,” it said.
Last month, gunmen killed at least 26 tourists in an attack on a mountain destination in the Pahalgam area of the IIOJK valley.
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India has accused Pakistan of involvement in the attack, which Islamabad denies. Pakistan said it has “credible intelligence” that India intends to launch military action.
Pakistan also announced retaliatory measures that have included halting all border trade, closing its airspace to Indian carriers and expelling Indian diplomats.
It has also warned that any attempt to prevent the flow of river water promised under a decades-old treaty between the two nations would be considered an act of war.
Trade between the two nations has dwindled over the last few years.
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