Pakistan imported goods worth $1.62b from India over the past five years

ISLAMABAD:

Despite tense relations, Pakistan has imported goods worth $1.62 billion from India during the last five years.

This was disclosed to the Standing Committee for Trade by officials of the commerce ministry who said this had occurred despite the fact that trade had been halted with India.

According to documents, Pakistan had bought goods worth $380 million from India in the financial year 2019-20. Imports from India had stood at $327 million in FY20-21, $352 million in FY21-22, $276 million in FY22-23 and $278 million in FY23-24.

Commerce ministry sources said Pakistan imported pharmaceutical raw materials from India for manufacturing life-saving drugs. However, Pakistan has not exported anything to India for the last four years.

Islamabad suspended trade in 2019 after relations with Delhi deteriorated, in part because of India's decision to strip the majority-Muslim state of Jammu and Kashmir of its legislative autonomy, and Pakistanis have been paying the price ever since.

Over the past five years, Pakistan has made dialogue with India contingent on Delhi restoring Kashmir's special status. But the Indian government refuses to engage with Pakistan on the disputed territory, viewing it as an internal matter - and a largely settled one at that.