Pak goods worth $500 mn likely entering India via third countries: Official

Goods like dry fruits and chemicals worth $500 million are believed to be entering India through third countries including the UAE, Singapore, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, an official said.

According to the official, it is said that a substantial proportion of $500 million exports from Pakistan which were earlier directly exported to India are now being rerouted through other countries.

While Pakistani fruits, dry dates, leather, and textiles are repackaged and relabeled in the UAE for exports to India, chemicals are likely to be routed through Singapore.

Similarly, Indonesia is being used as a transit route for Pakistani cement, soda ash, and textile raw materials. From Sri Lanka, it is expected that Pakistani dried fruits, salt, and leather goods were being shipped to India.

Since there is a possibility of some of the $500 million exports now being routed to India through other countries, it is necessary to put a complete ban on exports from Pakistan to India (direct or indirect) and monitoring and identifying goods which may be coming by on country-of-origin manipulation, the official said.

"This comprehensive ban imposed by India including a ban on indirect exports would enable the customs authorities to prevent Pakistan exports from entering India through circumvention," the official added.