Indian traders to stop trade with Pakistan, decision taken by industry body CAIT

NEW DELHI: The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has unanimously decided to completely halt any kind of trade with Pakistan, days after the terror attack at Pahalgam.

The industry body took the pledge at their two-day national governing council meeting in Bhubaneswar, attended by over 200 prominent trade leaders from 26 states across the country.

CAIT Secretary General and Member of Parliament from Chandni Chowk, Praveen Khandelwal, informed that a unanimous resolution was passed in the meeting condemning the terrorist incident in Pahalgam in the strongest terms and calling for a complete boycott of all trade relations with Pakistan.

As per a statement from CAIT, the resolution stated that, in protest against the brutal killing of innocent tourists in Pahalgam, the business community has decided to cease all forms of imports and exports with Pakistan immediately.

“Traders expressed full support for the strong actions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against terrorism and urged that the perpetrators and their supporters be given the strictest possible punishment,” the CAIT statement read.

After the Pulwama terrorist attack in 2019, trade relations between India and Pakistan severely deteriorated, leading to a significant drop in bilateral trade. According to CAIT, the trade volume, which peaked at nearly USD 3 billion in 2018, declined to approximately USD 1.2 billion by 2024.

Between April 2024 and January 2025, India exported approximately USD 500 million worth of goods to Pakistan, primarily pharmaceuticals, chemicals, sugar, and auto parts, while imports totalled USD 0.42 million, according to CAIT’s statement.

“Now, traders have resolved to end this trade as well completely,” CAIT pledged, as per their statement.

Trade leaders emphasised that continuing trade with a hostile country is completely unacceptable.

Khandelwal said, “In the current circumstances, the business community across the country stands united and ready under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to take any necessary step for protecting the sovereignty and commercial freedom of the nation.”

At the same meeting in Bhubaneswar, it was also demanded from the government and GST Council that immediate action be taken against in what it termed as malpractices of quick commerce and e-commerce companies, and that a 28 per cent GST be imposed on them. Convenience of buying from such platforms should be treated as a luxury and taxed accordingly, CAIT urged.

CAIT accused e-commerce and quick commerce companies of continuously violating rules and laws, selling counterfeit products, and conspiring to destroy the businesses of small traders.

CAIT demanded that the government immediately implement the e-commerce policy and the rules framed under the Consumer Protection Act, as well as the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy.

“All trade leaders further demanded transparency and accountability in digital commerce. CAIT emphasised that the technology, pricing, and vendor selection process of e-commerce platforms should be transparent and accountable, ensuring the protection of small grocery shop owners and offline traders,” the CAIT statement read. (ANI)