India and Pakistan have maintained one of the world's most fraught bilateral relationships since their violent partition in August 1947. Three full-scale wars (1947, 1965, 1971), multiple military crises, sustained proxy conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, and cross-border terrorist attacks — most catastrophically the 2008 Mumbai attacks — have produced a relationship defined by strategic hostility, mutual nuclear deterrence, and periodic failed peace processes. India revoked Pakistan's Most Favoured Nation (MFN) trade status in 2019 following the Pulwama attack. Formal diplomatic relations technically continue, but normal bilateral commerce, people-to-people exchange, and political dialogue are effectively suspended.
COOPERATION AREAS
Where India and Pakistan actually work together
5 active areas of cooperation, as of July 2026. Click any card for the full brief.
TRADE & INVESTMENT
By the numbers
Formal bilateral trade has effectively collapsed since India revoked Pakistan's MFN status in February 2019 and Pakistan suspended all trade in August 2019. Residual flows reflect informal trade through third-country intermediaries (UAE, Singapore). FY 2023–24 estimates. Source: DGFT.
$0.2bn
Total bilateral trade in goods
$0.15bn
India exports to country
$0.05bn
India imports from country
Trade trajectory · USD bn
$0.2bnin FY24 · click a bar to compare years
TOP TRADED ITEMS
AGREEMENTS & MILESTONES
The relationship since 1947, in 8 dates
CURRENT STATE
Where things stand, 2026
India-Pakistan relations are at their lowest point since the 1971 war. Following Operation Sindoor (May 2025), India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, closed the Wagah border crossing, expelled Pakistani diplomats, and halted all people-to-people exchange. Pakistan has reciprocated. Both countries' air spaces remain closed to each other's airlines. The nuclear dimension makes sustained military escalation unlikely, but the political conditions for any normalisation are absent. No dialogue track is currently active.
SIGNALS TO WATCH
On track / positive momentum
In progress / worth watching
Stalled or facing headwinds
Not yet started / unclear
QUICK FACTS
CapitalIslamabad
Population231 million
RegionSouth Asia
Diplomatic tiesSince 1947
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