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| Regional divide over cross-LOC trade | | | NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
The State unit of the BJP is up in arms against the opening of cross-LOC trade routes on the plea that it would undermine national security Another reason for the BJP's roar against the opening of trade routes was that it had negated the resolution of the Parliament seeking incorporation of occupied Kashmir with India.Will the BJP get the support for its protest against the opening of trade route by the traders in Jammu ?Possibly not.It is so because the leaders of Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries have been in the forefront of those demanding reopening of the trade routes with occupied Kashmir.Will the BJP be able to strengthen its base in the Kashmir on the basis of its opposition to the opening of the trade routes ?Definitely not.In fact majority of people,besides traders and separatists in the valley have been a votary for the reopening of the trade routes with occupied Kashmir.Whatever reasons they have for this the so called economic blockade on Kashmir during the recent shutdown in protest against the revocation of the land diversion order to the Shrine Board has precipitated the matter.
The BJP Chief,Ashok Khajuria is not wrong when he has demanded opening of Suchetgarh-Sialkot road and oher routes on the International Border in the Jammu sector for trade.The Jammuites have been demanding opening of the Suchetgarh-Siaklot road for traffic but it has not been conceded so far.Had this route been thrown open for trade and traffic a large section of people,especially the traders would have been benefitted.Traders in Jammu argue that sending "our goods either to Poonch or to Srinagar for export to occupied Kashmir was going to be not only a costly but also a time consuming affair.And again Khajuria makes sense when he alleges that by opening cross-LOC trade the Congress led Government in the centre had "surrendered" before the Kashmiris separatists.Beyond this Khajuria does not make any sense.
Does Khajuria know that when a country like India has not been in a position to counter terrorism effectively is it possible for it to liberate Pakistan held Kashmir ?Does he realise that when India has not been able to check crossborder terrorism will it be in a position to recapture areas of Kashmir that had been captured by Pakistan in 1948-49 ?Has he forgotten that opening of routes for trade and traffic are part of the confidence building measures ? If he has not forgoten it he should remember that the author of the peace process and the confidence building measures was none other than the BJP stalwart,Atal Behari Vajpayee.Khajuria needs to remember that if there is lull on the LOC and the International Border in Jammu Kashmir,where the guns have fallen silent,it is the result of Vajpayee's peace process.Thanks to this peace process that several thousand border migrants have been able to return to their ancestral villages where they continue to live in peace.
Please do not blame Khajuria and his colleagues in the saffron brigade.Why so ?The BJP has got another issue to hammer out during its pre-poll campaign.Not that the turmoil over the land row and Government's no to delimitation commission were too insufficient issues to muster voters support the BJP wants to go to the battle of the ballot in full combat dress.Unfortunately regional divide has again surfaced over the opening of cross-LOC trade routes.While the BJP in Jammu and its allies have opposed it all the valley centric political parties besides the separatists have supported it. |
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