India announced on Saturday that it has banned the import of goods from Pakistan—or goods that pass through it—amid escalating diplomatic tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors following a deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region.
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In a notice cited by Reuters, India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade stated that the ban takes effect immediately, saying it was imposed “in the interest of national security and public policy.”
The ban comes after suspected militants killed at least 26 tourists in a recent attack in the scenic Pahalgam area of Kashmir’s valley.
India has accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack—an allegation Islamabad denies. Pakistan, in turn, claimed to have “credible intelligence” that India plans a military response.
In retaliation, Pakistan announced several countermeasures, including halting all cross-border trade, closing its airspace to Indian airlines, and expelling Indian diplomats.
Islamabad also warned that any attempt to block the flow of the Indus River under a decades-old treaty would be considered “an act of war.”
Trade between the two countries has already been in steady decline in recent years.
