New Delhi, May 5 -- In the wake of the ban on Pakistani merchandise imports, the customs department is on high alert to thwart Islamabad's attempts to access the Indian market through a third country, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore, Indonesia, or Sri Lanka, people aware of the matter said on Sunday. At least $500 million worth of Pakistani fruits, dry dates, textiles, soda ash, rock salt, and leather items are still being repackaged and relabelled in a third country to access the Indian market, the people said, requesting anonymity because they are not authorised to speak on the matter. To be sure, Indian imports from Pakistan through the official channel are negligible, but Pakistani items come in via third countries. Hence, the government on May 2 issued an order banning all direct and indirect imports from the neighbouring country. "The idea is to choke Pakistani exports as Pakistan's economy is already crippled and vulnerable," one of the people said. P6...