Indian traders announce full boycott of Türkiye, Azerbaijan over pro-Pakistan stance

In a decisive move reflecting growing national sentiment, Indian traders announced on Friday a complete boycott of Türkiye and Azerbaijan, citing the two countries’ support for Pakistan during the recent military conflict with India.

Earlier today, business leaders from over 24 Indian states gathered in Delhi to take a final call on the issue.

"A collective decision has been taken in the conference of trade leaders today to end all trade with Turkey and Azerbaijan... The reason is clear. Turkey and Azerbaijan openly supported Pakistan against India... Any import and export will not happen with Turkey and Azerbaijan with immediate effect," BJP MP and Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal told the media following the meeting.


Khandelwal said no further imports or exports will take place with either country. Indian companies have also been urged not to shoot advertisements or films in Turkey and Azerbaijan.

"The Indian film industry has also been requested not to shoot any of its films in Turkey and Azerbaijan... Many companies also shoot (advertisements) in these countries for their products. If any company does so anymore, then we will boycott that company too," he added.

CAIT, which represents 80 million traders and over 40,000 trade associations across the country, said the boycott was effective immediately.

Earlier in the day, Delhi's Azadpur Mandi — Asia’s largest fruit and vegetable wholesale market — announced it would stop importing apples from Türkiye. “We’ve supported Turkish trade for years, but given the current scenario, we cannot continue,” said Meetha Ram Kriplani, chairman of Azadpur Fruit Mandi.

Traders across the capital also staged protests, calling for a complete ban on Turkish goods, citing “deep offence” to national sentiments.