Pahalgam terror attack: India imposed a ban on the import of goods originating from or passing through Pakistan, halted the exchange of mail and parcels, and prohibited the entry of Pakistani ships at Indian ports in fresh punitive measures against Islamabad in view of the cross border linkages.
The External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar discussed the Pahalgam terror attack with Russia’s foreign minister (FM) Sergey Lavrov on Friday (May 2). Jaishankar said that the ‘perpetrators, backers and planners of Pahalgam attack’ must be brought to justice.
Sergey Lavrov calls for India-Pakistan dialogue in talks with Jaishankar
Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has urged India and Pakistan to settle their disagreements bilaterally through political and diplomatic means. In a phone call with his Indian counterpart, Jaishankar, Lavrov discussed bilateral relations between India and Russia and also the recent aggravation in relations between New Delhi and Islamabad after the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed.
A release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation said, “They discussed issues of Russian-Indian cooperation and the aggravation of Indian-Pakistani relations following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Sergey Lavrov called for settling disagreements between New Delhi and Islamabad on a bilateral basis by political and diplomatic means per the provisions of the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999.”
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said that Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation SV Lavrov in a telephonic conversation with Jaishankar discussed the terrorist attack near Pahalgam.Lavrov in his call with Jaishankar called for the settlement of disagreements between Delhi and Islamabad.
Telephonic conversation between Jaishankar and Lavrov
“On May 2, a telephone conversation took place between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation SV Lavrov and the Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India Jaishankar,” the statement read. Lavrov called for settlements by political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis. “The heads of the foreign policy departments discussed current issues of Russian-Indian cooperation, as well as the aggravation of Indian-Pakistani relations after the terrorist attack near Pahalgam. SV Lavrov called for the settlement of disagreements between New Delhi and Islamabad by political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis in accordance with the provisions of the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999,” the statement read.
“The ministers discussed the schedule of upcoming contacts at the highest and high levels,” the statement added.
India bans imports and Pakistan ships entry, suspends postal servicesÂ
India on Saturday imposed a ban on the import of goods originating from or passing through Pakistan, halted the exchange of mail and parcels, and prohibited the entry of Pakistani ships at Indian ports in fresh punitive measures against Islamabad in view of the cross border linkages to the horrific Pahalgam terror attack.
New Delhi’s new measures came amid escalating tensions between the two countries following the deadly terror attack at Pahalgam last week that killed 26 people. A complete ban, with immediate effect, has been placed on direct or indirect import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, whether or not freely importable or otherwise permitted, on grounds of national security and public policy, a notification by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade stated.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) in a separate notification said that ships bearing the Pakistan flag shall not be allowed to visit any Indian port.
Simultaneously, an Indian flag ship shall not visit any ports of Pakistan. The DGS said the order has been issued to ensure “safety of Indian assets, cargo and connected infrastructure” and “any exemption or dispensation from this order shall be examined and decided on case-to-case”.
The restrictions have been put into place with immediate effect, officials said. Meanwhile, an order by the Department of Posts that operates under the Ministry of Communication, said: “(The) government of India has decided to suspend exchange of all categories of inbound mail and parcels from Pakistan through air and surface routes.”
The new moves came a week-and-half after India announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operation land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties following the terror attack.
In response, Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian airliners and suspended all trade with India, including through third countries. Pakistan rejected India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and said any move to stop the flow of water will be seen as an “act of war”.
Citing “cross-border linkages” to the April 22 attack, India has promised severe punishment to those involved in the strike. In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the terror attack.
Under the first set of punitive measures, India also revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals. However, the revocation of visas does not apply to the long-term visas already issued.
