Indian firms send goods worth over ₹85,000 crore per year to Pakistan via Dubai, Singapore, among other ports: GTRI

Indian companies are reportedly exporting goods worth over ₹85,000 crore ($10 billion) annually to Pakistan via indirect ports, including Dubai, Singapore, and Colombo, in order to bypass trade restrictions between the two nations, according to a report by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), cited by PTI.

The goods are sent to these ports, where independent firms offload the consignments and store them in Bonded Warehouses, which allow items to remain duty-free while in transit. At these warehouses, the products are relabelled, often changing their country of origin. For example, Indian-made goods are sometimes rebranded as "Made in UAE" before being shipped to countries like Pakistan, where direct trade with India is prohibited. 
GTRI's founder, Ajay Srivastava, explained that this process involves modifying labels and documents to show a different origin country. The goods, though originally from India, are shipped at a higher price due to the added costs of storage and paperwork in the third-party port. This approach allows Indian companies to access closed markets like Pakistan while avoiding regulatory hurdles.