Pakistan late Saturday ordered that any Indian flag carriers will not be allowed to visit any Pakistani port and also barred Pakistani ships from docking at any Indian port, a Pakistani newspaper, the Dawn, reported.
“Given the recent development of the maritime situation with neighbouring country, Pakistan to safeguard maritime sovereignty, economic interest, and national security enforces the following measures with immediate effect: Indian flag carriers shall not be allowed to visit any Pakistani port, Pakistani flag carriers shall not visit any Indian port (and) any exemption or dispensation shall be examined and decided on case to case basis,” the newspaper reported.The Dawn newspaper had quoted an order issued late Saturday by Pakistan’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs’ Ports and Shipping Wing.
Ties between the two neighbouring countries plummeted following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
In fresh punitive measures against Pakistan that came into effect immediately amid heightened Indo-Pak tensions in the wake of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, India also suspended the exchange of mail, and parcels from the neighbouring country via air and surface routes.
Besides banning entry of Pakistani ships into Indian ports, India also barred Indian ships from visiting Pakistani ports, according to the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS). The restrictions were put into place with immediate effect, officials said.According to an Indian government order, the complete ban on imports of all goods from Pakistan was imposed on the grounds of national security and public policy.
Though the 200% import duty imposed on Pakistani goods in 2019 after the Pulwama attack had effectively halted direct imports, the latest decision also prohibits the entry of Pakistani goods routed through third countries.
The fresh 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.
The Pakistan army, meanwhile, said in a statement that it has conducted a successful training launch of the Abdali Weapon System — a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450 km, saying it was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters.
In New Delhi, people familiar with the matter said India considers the test launch of the ballistic missile a “blatant” act of “provocation”.
As the hunt for the Pahalgam attackers intensified, Sri Lankan police searched a flight arriving in Colombo from Chennai after being tipped off that a suspect linked to the massacre could be on board, a police spokesperson said in the Sri Lankan capital. Indian authorities have identified four terrorists – including two Pakistani nationals – behind the Pahalgam carnage.
A statement from the national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines said the aircraft was thoroughly inspected and subsequently cleared for further operations.
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