NEW DELHI, May 3 (Xinhua) -- India on Saturday announced a ban on all imports from Pakistan, saying the restriction was imposed "in the interest of national security and public policy."

Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated following a deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam in the Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22.

According to an official statement issued by the federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry, "direct or indirect import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, whether or not freely importable or otherwise permitted, shall be prohibited with immediate effect, until further orders."

This will prohibit the import of goods from Pakistan directly or through any other trade route, it added. ■