India Seizes 13 Shipping Containers Carrying Pakistan-Origin Dry Dates At Kandla Port

India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 364 metric tonnes of dry dates worth around Rs 3 crore after finding that the consignment, declared as originating from the United Arab Emirates, was actually from Pakistan, the Ministry of Finance said.

The DRI intercepted 13 containers carrying the dry dates at Kandla Port during an intelligence-led operation.

The investigation found that the goods were first moved from Pakistan to Dubai and later transferred into another set of containers before being exported to India.

The authorities said the importers allegedly misdeclared the country of origin and suppressed important information to bypass India’s restrictions on Pakistan-origin goods.

The entire consignment has been seized under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

The DRI said such routing through third countries was an attempt to avoid the prohibition on imports of goods originating from Pakistan.

India had prohibited the direct or indirect import and transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan through a Directorate General of Foreign Trade notification issued on May 2, 2025, under the Foreign Trade Policy 2023.

The import restrictions were announced after India ended direct trade with Pakistan following the April 22, 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which killed 26 people. India closed the Integrated Check Post at Attari on April 24, 2025.

Following the ban, authorities have been monitoring possible attempts to bring Pakistan-origin goods into India through third countries.

Pakistan-origin goods had previously entered India through transshipment hubs, including the UAE. India had imported items such as dry fruits, dates, cement, glass, gypsum, rock salt and herbs from Pakistan, while exporting products including soybean, poultry feed, vegetables, red chillies, plastic granules and plastic yarn.

According to data cited from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India-Pakistan trade declined from $2.41123 billion in 2018-19 to $647.20 million in 2022-23. Trade later increased to $1.19 billion in 2023-24 before falling to $558.24 million in 2024-25 and $258.22 million in the latest financial year.

The World Bank has estimated that India-Pakistan trade has the potential to reach $37 billion.

The seizure at Kandla Port comes after another DRI case involving Pakistan-origin goods at Tuticorin Port.

Last week, DRI officials detected an attempt to import around 14 metric tonnes of Guggul resin valued at approximately Rs 1.4 crore. The consignment was declared as natural resin originating from Somalia and was routed through Dubai.

The investigation found that the shipment contained Pakistan-origin Guggul resin and had allegedly been trans-shipped using forged documents. Two people were arrested in connection with the case.

Guggul resin, also known as Commiphora resin, is derived from a species found in the arid regions of India and Pakistan. It is listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and is categorised as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

References: aninews, newsonair