Giriraj Singh on business with Pakistan: 'Won't allow our exports to reach even via third country'

Union Minister Giriraj Singh at Powering Bharat Summit

Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh on Friday said that India will not exports to reach Pakistan even via a third country.

He was speaking at Powering Bharat organised by Network18 in collaboration with Moneycontrol, News18 India, and CNBC Awaaz. "Wherever our exports go, with technology we will stop our exports from reaching Pakistan. Even via third country will not allow our exports to reach Pakistan," said Singh.

His comments come amid longstanding trade tensions between India and Pakistan, which have remained suspended since August 2019 after Pulwama attack. While formal trade remains halted, there have been concerns about indirect trade taking place through countries such as the United Arab Emirates or Singapore.

Although there has been no formal resumption of trade between the two neighbours, certain Indian-origin goods — especially textiles, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals — may enter Pakistan via intermediary markets. Singh’s comments suggest the government is looking to use advanced tracking and certification technologies to plug such loopholes.

By restricting re-routing of goods to Pakistan, the government is signalling a harder diplomatic stance that aligns with its broader strategic posture.

While technology can help track consignments, completely preventing goods from reaching unintended destinations remains a challenge in global supply chains. Once a shipment is rebranded in a third country, its origin may not be obvious.

Indian goods worth over $10 billion are reaching Pakistan every year indirectly through ports such as Dubai, Singapore, and Colombo, bypassing trade restrictions, according to estimates of economic think tank GTRI.

Re-exports involve exporting goods to a third country, which then ships them onward to another destination — in this case, potentially Pakistan. These often exploit weak certification norms in transit countries.