India: Ruling BJP party leader calls for Pakistan cement ban

Subramanian Swamy, leader of the BJP, has called on his colleague, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to ban the import of cement from Pakistan, the Economic Times reports.

"I request you to ban import of cement into the country not only in the interest of growth and sustenance of domestic cement industry but also in keeping with the imperatives of national security. Ban of import from Pakistan will be in the interest of the country's security in the present juncture," Mr Swamy said in a letter to the Indian PM.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have heightened of late after a guerrilla attack on an army base in September killed 18 Indian soldiers. India claimed that the attackers had crossed into its territory from Pakistan and has since carried out artillery strikes – killing two Pakistani soldiers – and threatened to review trade agreements.

Mr Swamy contends that India now has sufficient domestic cement capacity to do without imports from Pakistan and also alleged that cement imports were being used as cover for smugglers.