ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: India has announced an immediate ban on imports originating from or routed through Pakistan, as tensions between the two neighbours escalated sharply following a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The move, confirmed by India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade late Friday, was framed as a national security measure. The order offered no timeline for review or exemption.
The import ban comes in the wake of a deadly assault on April 22 in the Pahalgam area of IIOJK that claimed the lives of at least 26 tourists. New Delhi has accused Pakistan of supporting the attackers—an allegation Islamabad has strongly rejected, urging instead an impartial international investigation into the incident.
In a swift and sharp response, Pakistan has taken its own countermeasures: suspending trade at key border crossings, closing its airspace to Indian aircraft, and expelling Indian diplomats. Islamabad also warned that any unilateral Indian action to disrupt water flows under the Indus Waters Treaty would be treated as an act of war.
The diplomatic standoff has spilled over into international forums as well. Islamabad recently pushed back against India’s request for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reassess Pakistan’s financial support package, dismissing it as a politically motivated move.
“This programme is not just stabilising Pakistan—it’s building investor confidence,” said Khurram Schehzad, a senior adviser at Pakistan’s finance ministry, referring to the $7 billion IMF bailout secured last year. He added that the most recent IMF review concluded smoothly, and that international interest in Pakistan remains strong—particularly after the country secured $1.3 billion in climate resilience funding in March 2025.
Meanwhile, New Delhi has remained tight-lipped, with no official comment so far from India’s finance ministry or the IMF in response to Islamabad’s objections.
With diplomatic ties fraying, treaties suspended, and airspace restricted, analysts warn that the already fragile balance in South Asia is under increasing strain.