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| …..And now century’s biggest blackmail | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Aug 10
•Separatists, PDP to march for Muzaffarabad today
•Alleged economic blockade described as reason
•Center, state peeved, Patil appeals reconsideration
•Disturbed Govt says wait till Oct for formal trade
•No economic blockage at all, authorities confirm
Despite all out efforts put in by the state and central government to ensure complete supply of essential commodities and also look into it that Valley’s export produce reaches to the markets in other parts of country, the entire Kashmiri separatist and mainstream leadership today ganged up adamantly on its decision to launch a march to Muzaffarabad with fruit laden trucks.
Heightening the politicization of ongoing controversy, the separatist and mainstream leadership of Kashmir, prominently supported by the Peoples Democratic Party, has based its decision on the presumed premise that Valley’s export produce, mainly fruits and vegetables, are not being allowed by the Jammu agitators to be delivered in different markets of country. Even though the top echelons of state government, the divisional administration and Army have time and again clarified that there is no shortage of essentials in Valley and also asserted with facts and figures that all major produces have been reached different markets of country, the Kashmiri separatists and merchants are adamant in taking out a march on Muzaffarabad route.
They want to make symbolic in a symbolic to defame the Shri Amarnath shrine land agitation in Jammu to tell the nation and the world that their produce is not being allowed to be transported on National Highway by the Jammu agitators.
Interestingly, the government instead of taking strict measures, as they were taken in Jammu to curb the agitation, as the Valley traders and merchants to wait till October when the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad trade is formally thrown open.
Late this evening, a spokesman of the government today said that the central government, as part of the series of confidence building measures (CBMs) with Pakistan is committed to open cross-LoC trade on Uri-Muzaffarabad and other points.
As a part of this exercise, a list of large number of items of export interest of J&K has already been passed on to Pakistan and it is upto them to convey their agreement on the list of items to be traded on these routes.
The spokesman said that in the recent past, a team of senior central and state government officers have visited Slamabad(Uri) to inspect the facilities being created for the purpose. He expressed the confidence that if all goes well the cross-LoC trade is expected to commence as early as October 2008. He was apparently making an appeal to the Valley based leaders and fruits growers to wait till October.
The Valley separatists, mainstream politicians and traders are blatantly overlooking the efforts made by the government ensuring supplies as well as making arrangements for transportation of their produce to different markets in India. If we look at the figures of today only, as many as 178 trucks and tankers loaded with rice, flour, sheep, chicken, LPG, diesel, petrol, K-oil etc arrived at Srinagar from 2 pm yesterday upto 2 pm today. Of these, 20 trucks were loaded with LPG, 39 with rice, 16 with sheep, 12 with diesel, 8 with petrol, 3 with K-oil, 9 with flour, 6 with fresh fruit and 62 with other commodities.
During the past 24 hours upto 2 pm today, as many as 423 trucks departed from Lower Mundda towards Jammu and other destinations. Of these, 138 trucks were loaded with fruits, 23 with vegetables, 33 with other commodities and 51 empty tankers. This information was given by the Divisional Administration, Kashmir here this afternoon.
The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir said that the administration today made available 70 trucks for transportation of fruit from Sopore Mandi. However, he said that fruit load of 20 trucks only was available in the Mandi. He said the National Highway was through for smooth movement of trucks and other load carriers.
Meanwhile, the authorities have deployed additional security around fruit markets here in view of the separatist call to march to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir tomorrow.
Security forces have been put on high alert and additional policemen have been deployed at the fruit market here to foil any attempt to proceed to Muzaffarabad, official sources said.
Additional policemen were deployed at the fruit market at Parimpora on the outskirts here, they said. The Hurriyat Conference has announced that a convoy of fruit-laden trucks from Kashmir will proceed towards Muzaffarabad and people of Muslim majority areas in Jammu will march towards Rawalakote. Kashmir fruit growers and dealers association had sought the support of Hurriyat Conference for its August 11 programme of taking fruit trucks to outside markets through Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road in order after the "economic blockade".
Meanwhile, state authorities said that a fleet of 45 state road transport corporation trucks have been pressed into service to transport fresh fruit from here. An official spokesman said special All India permit on temporary basis had been arranged for these trucks to carry fruits outside the state. He said another 45 civilian trucks attached with army have also been diverted for transportation of fresh fruit from the valley.
Playing worst political game, the Peoples Democratic Party on the one hand is seeking to participate in dialogue with the Samiti and on the other hand the party has joined the “Muzaffarabad chalo” campaign. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decided to join the march to Muzaffarabad on Monday the call for which has been given by Fruit Growers Association. Announcing this here today the party President Mehbooba Mufti said PDP would fully participate in the march. She said the party workers and sympathizers would be led by senior leaders Abdul Aziz Zargar and Mohammad Dilawar Mir and they would constitute a part of the main caravan.
Mehbooba Mufti reiterated the urgency of fully operationalizing the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Road for passenger and goods traffic. In a her statement she said the economic blockade enforced by communal and fascist forces in Jammu and other parts of the country against Kashmiris only underscores the importance of this vital road for our economic survival.
Mehbooba said PDP has all along been stressing the need for reopening of all traditional routes that offered Kashmir an unlimited access to outside world. The denial of this access over the past sixty years had acted as a severe constraint on the growth of the state on economic and social front; she said and added that the march should be seen as the assertion of Kashmir's inalienable right to trade and travel without restrictions.
PDP, Mehbooba said had effectively brought the need for opening up of Kashmir on the center stage and some success in the shape of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Bus service owed itself to the leadership of this party and the sacrifices of its cadres. Paying tributes to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives at Uri on April 7th 2004 when PDP launched its first march in support of the demand to open the highway, she said it is time that the two parts of the state are now reunited for ushering in a new era of peace and progress in the region.
PDP president said opening up of the road between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar along with other links like Suchetgarh-Sialkote, Rawlakot-Pooch and Kargil-Skardu offered a win-win opportunity to India, Pakistan and the people of the state. The two governments, she said could dither on this burning issue only at a heavy price to the peace process. She said the Indo Pak dialogue must now zero in on this subject with speed and focus as the situation cannot brook any further delay in restoring regular passenger and goods traffic on the road in view of the emerging scenario in Jammu.
Even otherwise, Mehbooba said the inability to upgrade the existing link between Srinagar and Jammu to decent Highway standards which could cater to increased economic and infrastructural requirements underlined the need to use Muzaffarabad Road. The Jammu highway is now a virtual nightmare for drivers and failure to link it with the North South Corridor that ominously stops at Jammu tells its own story of the "special treatment" to Kashmir. |
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