 S.Tahir-Ul Haq
Early Times Report
BARAMULLA, Feb 12: Finally the deadlock on LOC Trade came to an end after hectic six days on Thursday ,which was suspended after the recovery of 305 packets of Brown Sugar from a Pakistani truck here on Feb 7. While as 15 trucks of goods from Indian side crossed other side of LoC today, however no truck from PoK turned here in Salamabad Facilitation Centre of Uri town in Baramulla district of North Kashmir.
A senior official from Trade Facilitation Center told Early Times that, "Trade across the Line of Control (LoC) between the Indian and Pakistani parts of Jammu and Kashmir resumed on Thursday morning from this side, after authorities of the two sides resolved the stalemate that followed the recovery of Brown sugar from a Pakistani truck which had come to India on Feb 7. "50 trucks were detained by Pakistan and 21 trucks detained by India were allowed to proceed to their respective destination across the LoC today, said official.
Government official said, "The trade on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road between the two sides of Kashmir was suspended on Feb 7, after 305 packets of brown sugar were recovered from orange boxes which was coming from Pakistan side. Meanwhile Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Baramulla, Mir Suhail Munawar, told early times that, "Syed Anniyat Hussain Shah the driver from Muzaffarbad, and a local trader Zahoor Ahmad Malla alias Raju Chroul, who was to receive the consignment, continue to remain in police remand. A case under Section 8/21 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered against the duo and investigations are going on, SSP said. However, He said that, "22 drivers from Muzaffarabad were stranded at Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre in Uri town, while 49 drivers from this side of Kashmir were held up at Chakoti, were allowed to proceed to their respective destination across the LoC today.
Early times spoke to Hilal Ahmad Turki, General Secretary Salamabad-Chakoti Trade Union, he said that, there should be a full body scanner and there should not be a trust deficit again and again, for which both the countries India and Pakistan should make a mechanism, so that there could be hassle free trade in future. "At the same time i would like to thank Governor N.N.Vohra, Financial Commissioner industries, and DDC Baramulla, Talat Pervez who put their effort to resolve the deadlock which was suspended from Feb 7, Turki added. It is pertinent to mention here that on January 2014, authorities had seized drugs worth Rupees 100 crore from a truck coming from Muzaffarabad, which led to brief suspension of cross-Line of Control trade after police arrested the Pakistani driver of the vehicle.
In August 2013, police recovered cocaine worth Rs 10 crore from a truck, plying on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route, at Sheeri in Baramulla district. |
