Pakistan lifts ban on trade of medicines with India

The federal government on Monday allowed the import of life-saving medicines from India in order to provide relief to patients amid bilateral tensions with New Delhi over the illegal annexation of Indian-occupied Kashmir last month.

The permission to import and export medicines to and from the Hindu-majority country was granted by the Ministry of Commerce, which issued a statutory regulatory order in this regard.

Last month, Pakistan suspended bilateral trade with neighbor India after the latter illegally annexed Indian occupied Kashmir by revoking the special constitutional autonomy of the occupied valley through a presidential order rushed through the parliament.

Hundreds of thousands of additional troops were posted in the valley following the order and a military curfew imposed.

Thousands of Kashmiri political leaders, businessmen, civil activists and other ordinary citizens were arrested.

International media are now reporting widespread torture and abuse of these detainees by the Indian security forces.

Some reports have even claimed that India is denying medical care to patients.

Last week, US Senator Bernie Sanders expressed concern in this regard.

Moreover, Pakistan is also contemplating closing its airspace for Indian flights and is also discussing other measures aimed at downgrading bilateral ties with India to protest the moves in the occupied valley.

After India revoked Article 370 of its Constitution which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, Pakistan ended all trade relations with India.

In its reaction to the political developments in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan had also expelled the Indian Ambassador from Islamabad.

There was a campaign to boycott Indian goods in Pakistan. Train and bus services between the two countries were stopped. Even Indian films and advertisements featuring Indian artists were banned.

Pakistan wanted to harm India on the trade front but as the month passed, Pakistan began to understand the impact of its decision.

The Pakistan drug industry is currently in a dire condition. When Pakistan ended trade relations with India, traders there were forced to stop importing medicines from India.

Within a few days, there was a severe shortage of life-saving medicines in Pakistani hospital.

Patients started suffering vastly in the absence of medicines.