Consumer protection authority issues notices to ecommerce firms over sale of Pakistani flags and merchandise

Ecommerce platforms, including Amazon India, Flipkart, and UBuy India, have been instructed to promptly remove such listings.

May 15, 2025 - 08:00

Consumer protection authority issues notices to ecommerce firms over sale of Pakistani flags and merchandise

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued notices to Amazon India, Flipkart, UBuy India, Etsy, The Flag Company and The Flag Corporation over sale of Pakistani national flags and related merchandise,

Union Affair Minister Prahlad Joshi said that the platforms have been instructed to promptly remove such listings. "Such insensitivity will not be tolerated. Ecommerce platforms are hereby directed to immediately remove all such content and adhere to national laws," shared Joshi in post on X.

The CCPA has issued notices to @amazonIN, @Flipkart, @UbuyIndia, @Etsy, The Flag Company and The Flag Corporation over the sale of Pakistani flags and related merchandise. Such insensitivity will not be tolerated.
E-commerce platforms are hereby directed to immediately remove all… pic.twitter.com/03Q4FOxwCX— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) May 14, 2025

This is not the first time ecommerce players are being pulled up amid the India-Pakistan conflict. Last week, the regulator had issued notices to 13 ecommerce players, including Amazon and Flipkart, for illegal sale of walkie-talkie devices on their platforms, citing potential security concerns.

The other platforms included Meesho, OLX, TradeIndia, Facebook, Indiamart, VardaanMart, Jiomart, Krishnamart, Chimiya, Talk Pro Walie Talkie, and MaskMan toys.

The crackdown focuses on the sale of walkie-talkies without proper frequency disclosure, licensing information, or equipment type approval, constituting a violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

"The sale of non-compliant wireless devices not only breaches statutory obligations but may also pose significant risks to national security operations," shared Joshi in a post on X.

These moves come amid heightened national sentiment following Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory military strike on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

(With inputs from PTI)

Edited by Swetha Kannan