May 03, 2025: In response to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 tourists, India has taken a series of stern diplomatic and trade measures against Pakistan, including a suspension of all inbound mail and parcel exchanges via air and land routes.
Union Minister for Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, announced the suspension of postal services on Saturday, as confirmed in a statement from the Ministry of Communications, Department of Posts, also shared by India Post on social media.
This move follows the Indian government’s decision earlier in the day to impose a comprehensive ban on the direct and indirect import and transit of all goods from Pakistan, effectively bringing bilateral trade to a standstill. The decision affects even the already minimal trade volume between the two nations, which stood at roughly USD 0.5 million annually.
Ajay Srivastava, Founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), stated, “India’s already minuscule imports from Pakistan—barely USD 0.5 million a year—will now drop to zero. No one in India will miss anything except perhaps Himalayan pink salt (Sendha Namak), extracted from salt deposits of Pakistan.” He added that the latest ban is largely symbolic, given the 200% import duties already imposed after the 2019 Pulwama attack, which had drastically reduced trade levels.
In addition to trade and postal restrictions, India has suspended the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals, closed the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, and ordered a reduction in diplomatic staff at High Commissions on both sides. Pakistani nationals under SVES have been given 40 hours to exit India.
In a further escalation, India has also decided to halt the Indus Waters Treaty, a landmark agreement signed in 1960, signaling a broader deterioration in diplomatic ties following the Pahalgam tragedy.