In a retaliatory move, Pakistan Saturday imposed a ban on Indian-flagged ships from entering its ports, news agency PTI reported. This comes a day after New Delhi imposed a ban on the import of goods from Pakistan and barred entry of its vessels into Indian ports.
The ban comes into effect immediately amid heightened tensions between the two countries following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs, in a notification, said that it took the step of banning the Indian ships in the context of the current situation, keeping in mind maritime sovereignty, economic interests and national security. “Indian-flagged ships will not be allowed to reach any Pakistani port. Similarly, Pakistani-flagged ships will not visit any Indian port,” the ministry stated, as per the PTI report.
Earlier on Saturday, India imposed a ban on the import of goods coming from or transiting through Pakistan as well as the entry of ships bearing the flag of Pakistan into its ports. It also barred Indian-flagged vessel from visiting any ports in Pakistan.
India also halted the exchange of mail and parcels with Pakistan, through both air and land routes, as it imposed fresh punitive measures on Islamabad on Saturday.
The first set of measures included suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, scrapping of all visas, and sending back all Pakistan nationals (except for the ones with long-term visas) among others. India also reduced the strength of the Pakistan High Commission by almost half, closed the Attari-Wagah border, and sent back defence officials in the Pakistan mission. About 16 Pakistani news YouTube channels have also been banned.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army tested its surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a 450-km range on Saturday. The missile, known as the Abdali Weapon System, was tested as part of its military drill “Exercise Indus.” An official in Delhi called it a “reckless act of provocation and a dangerous escalation by Pakistan in its hostile campaign against India.”
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd