CHANDIGARH, Apr 24 : Amritsar-based traders on Thursday hailed the Centre’s decision to shut down the Attari land-transit post in view of the terror attack in Pahalgam, asserting that the country comes first.

  The Centre on Wednesday announced a raft of measures, including expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post in view of the cross-border links to the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians on Tuesday.

According to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC visa exemption scheme (SVES) and any Pakistani national currently in India under the SVES visa scheme has 48 hours to leave the country.

The trade between India and Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah land route has not been taking place since 2019. However, imports from Afghanistan were continuing through the Attari-Wagah land route.

Federation of Haryana and Dry Fruit Commercial Association President Anil Mehra on Thursday said the trading community completely stands with the Government of India on whatever measures have been taken against Pakistan.

“We are fully with the Centre. For us, the country comes first,” Mehra told PTI.

He said that the Centre should give a befitting reply to Pakistan for the dastardly act of killing innocent Indians.

He further said they will take out a candlelight march in Amritsar on Thursday evening in protest against the killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam.

Amritsar-based industrialist Rajdeep Uppal said the trade and industry firmly stands with the government.

“Trader and Industry stood by the decision of the government in 2019 and again in 2025,” said Uppal, who is former chairman of CII Amritsar Zone.

The main season of importing dry fruits from Afghanistan — which happens through the Attari-Wagah land route — starts in July and lasts till December.

However, there was no trade between India and Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah land route.

India had imposed 200 per cent custom duties on all products imported from Pakistan following the Pulwama attack in February 2019.

Pakistan had suspended bilateral trade with India in August 2019 in the wake of scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

India and Pakistan had agreed to start cross-border movement of trucks in October 2007, after a gap of 60 years from the Attari checkpost at Amritsar to the Wagah border to boost bilateral trade.

An Integrated Check Post was set up at the Attari-Wagah border in 2012 for smooth movement of traffic between the two countries. (PTI)