Since 27 August, Pakistan has not accepted postal mail from India, a move said to have been taken in the wake of the abrogation of Kashmir’s special status.
On Monday, the Indian Minister for Communications and IT described Pakistan’s move as contravening international procedures.
“Pakistan has not been accepting mails from India for two months now. Pakistan’s decision is directly in contravention to the international postal union norms. But Pakistan is Pakistan,” India Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Monday.
Pakistan's decision was unilateral and India was not informed about it beforehand, the minister said, adding Pakistan had stopped receiving any consignment from India, forcing the Indian postal authorities to put mail marked for the country “on hold”.
Of the 28 Foreign Post Offices (FPOs) across India handling international consignments, only Delhi and Mumbai FPOs now handle postal mails to and from Pakistan.
Pakistan mounted a diplomatic offensive against India on international forums, including the recently-held 74th UN General Assembly. Islamabad has suspended diplomatic, trade and communication ties with India over the decision.
Pakistan claims it is a stakeholder in Kashmir, as both India and Pakistan rule different parts of the region but both claim the territory in full.
India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads over Kashmir since attaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947.
