Mumbai/New Delhi, May 3 (UNI) In another punitive measure against Islamabad, India today banned Pakistani-flagged ships from entering Indian ports and prohibited Indian-flagged vessels from visiting ports in Pakistan.

The restrictions, effective immediately, were issued by the Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai, under the Merchant Shipping Act.

It said: “A ship bearing the flag of Pakistan will not be allowed to visit any Indian port, an Indian flagged ship will not visit any ports of Pakistan.

“This order is issued to ensure safety of Indian assets, cargo and connected infrastructure, in public interest and for safety of Indian shipping”.

Any exceptions to the order will be examined and decided on case to case basis, it said.

The order comes into force with immediate effect, and will remain in force till further orders.

The measure comes as India has also banned the direct or indirect import of goods from Pakistan.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in a notification issued on Friday, “prohibited the import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan”.

These measures are the latest by New Delhi to crack down on Islamabad following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 tourists were gunned down, leading to embittering of relations between the two sides.

India has taken several measures to hit back at Pakistan, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the Attari border, telling all Pakistani nationals to leave, thinning the staff at the Pakistan HC and its own in Islamabad, among others.

UNI RN