Days after the terror attack in Pahalgam, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has unanimously decided to completely stop any kind of trade with Pakistan. The industry body took the resolution at the two-day National Governing Council meeting held in Bhubaneswar, which was attended by over 200 prominent trade leaders from 26 states across the country. CAIT Secretary General and Chandni Chowk MP, Pravin Khandelwal said the meeting passed a unanimous resolution strongly condemning the terror incident in Pahalgam and calling for a complete boycott of all trade relations with Pakistan.
According to a CAIT statement, the resolution said that in protest against the brutal killing of innocent tourists in Pahalgam, the trading community has decided to immediately stop all types of imports and exports with Pakistan. "The traders expressed full support of the strong action taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against terrorism and urged that the strictest punishment be given to the culprits and their supporters," the CAIT statement said.
After the Pulwama terror attack in 2019, trade relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated severely, leading to a sharp decline in bilateral trade. According to CAIT, the trade volume, which was around US$3 billion in 2018, is set to drop to around US$1.2 billion by 2024.
Between April 2024 and January 2025, India exported goods worth around US$500 million to Pakistan, mainly comprising medicines, chemicals, sugar and auto parts, while imports totalled US$0.42 million, according to the CAIT statement. "Now, the traders have resolved to completely end this trade too," CAIT vowed, according to its statement.
The business leaders stressed that it is totally unacceptable to continue trading with a hostile country. "Under the current circumstances, the business community across the country is united and ready to take any necessary steps to protect the sovereignty and business freedom of the nation under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi," Khandelwal said. At the same meeting in Bhubaneswar, the government and the GST Council were also demanded to take immediate action against the alleged malpractices of fast-track and e-commerce companies, and impose 28 per cent GST on them. The convenience of shopping from such platforms should be considered a luxury and taxed accordingly, CAIT urged.
CAIT accused e-commerce and instant commerce companies of constantly 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 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 stressed that the technology, pricing and seller selection process of e-commerce platforms must be transparent and accountable, ensuring the protection of small grocery shop owners and offline traders," the CAIT statement said. (ANI)
