Angry over Pakistan’s decision to block overland onion exports to India, Amritsar’s traders blocked the movement of Indian tomatoes, other fresh vegetables and meat meant for consumer markets in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Karachi.
Supporting the wholly unofficial, private embargo imposed by a consortium of about 30 Amritsar-based international traders, Mr Maninder Singh said, “They (Pakistanis) stopped their onions without assigning any reason being fully aware of the crisis here. So why should we have anything to do with such people.”
Indian traders refused to seek requisite custom clearances for nearly 80 trucks laden with Indian tomatoes, ginger, chilly and mutton to cross into Pakistan on Friday.
Notably, the daily supply of over 50 truck loads of Pakistani (Sindhi) onions every day for the past week had served to stabilise the local prices by easing off onion shortages here.
But now, after Pakistan’s inexplicable decision to block the prized onions has provoked angry reactions back in India.