New Delhi: Amid escalating diplomatic tensions following a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, India’s Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has urgently asked for detailed data on medicines and pharmaceutical products exported to Pakistan, a move that could signal a potential freeze on pharma trade with the neighbouring country.
Pharma Council Asked to Submit Export Data
The request, made to the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), comes after the terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead and several injured. While India has blamed Pakistan for harbouring terrorist elements, their government has denied any involvement in the attack and have halted bilateral trade in response.
A senior government official told News18, “We have asked for the export data to see what we are sending to Pakistan. Pharmexcil is working on it and will send details soon.” The DoP has called for this data on an "urgent" basis to assess the extent of pharmaceutical dependence and potential leverage.
According to LiveMint, Pharmexcil has already shared figures for FY23 and FY24 with the DoP. In FY24, India exported pharmaceutical goods worth approximately $176.5 million to Pakistan, down from $191.3 million in FY23. This accounts for roughly 0.6% of India’s total pharma exports, placing Pakistan 38th among India’s export destinations.
Pakistan’s Dependency Raises Strategic Concerns
India’s pharma exports to Pakistan include active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), vaccines, and critical therapies like anti-cancer and anti-rabies drugs. “Pakistan imports 30%–40% of its pharmaceutical raw material from India,” reported Geo News, citing an official from Pakistan’s health ministry.
Though India’s pharma trade with Pakistan is small, the disruption could hit Islamabad harder. “India exports a significant number of vaccines via UN channels due to Pakistan’s healthcare demands,” a government source told Mint.
While no formal export ban has been announced yet, Pharmexcil can only enforce restrictions upon receiving orders from the commerce ministry. Customs authorities would ultimately be responsible for blocking consignments at ports, as per the reports.
