The impact of the recent tension between India and Pakistan is clearly seen on the neighboring country. After the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India solished the operation and has given a big shock to the neighboring country by imposing several restrictions. India banned the goods from Pakistan as well as the ships carrying Pakistani goods to their ports, due to which its shipping cost increased and the freight is also delayed.
This truth came out
Javed Bilwani, president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that due to this ban of India, big ships (mother vessels) are no longer coming to Pakistan, due to which the import of goods is being delayed by 30 to 50 days. He said that now the importers are asking goods with the help of small ships (feeder vessels), which has increased the expenditure further. At the same time, exporters have also felt the cost of shipping and insurance. However, he says that it has not yet had much impact on exports. Textile exporter Aziz said, “The cost of insurance has definitely increased, but before that the shipping fee had increased.” He also said that Pakistan’s export sector is largely dependent on imported raw materials, which is used to prepare goods.
According to Dawn’s report, the Government of Pakistan has already imposed several restrictions on imports to save foreign exchange reserves. In such a situation, the effect of any kind of obstruction in the supply chain can affect for a long period. The trading relationship between India and Pakistan has been tense since the Pulwama terror attack in 2019. After the attack, India increased the import duty on goods coming from Pakistan by 200 per cent. After this, the formal trade between the two countries declined significantly.
Trade is continuously decreasing
In 2018, where the trade figure between the two countries was $ 2.41 billion, by 2024 it declined to just $ 1.2 billion. Similarly, Pakistan’s exports to India were $ 547.5 million in 2019, which fell in 2024 to only 4.8 million dollars. After the recent new sanctions, Indian officials are now keeping strict monitoring on efforts to trade by ignoring the rules.
India takes strict steps
Last week, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 39 containers at Nhawa Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai. These containers had more than 1,100 metric tonnes of Pakistani goods, the estimated price of which is said to be around Rs 9 crore. These goods were sent to India via Dubai and UAE. The Finance Ministry has confirmed this action in an official statement. According to the ministry, the seized goods violate India’s import rules, under which any kind of imports are banned directly or indirectly from Pakistan. In this case, a partner of the concerned importer firm has been arrested and the investigation is on.
