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| Cross-LOC trade suspended, POK traders up in arms against govt | | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Dec 13: Cross-Loc trade has suffered another major jolt with government of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) levying surcharge on all vehicles carrying goods to the line of control for sale in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country.
The levying of surcharge on cross-LOC trade bound vehicles has irked the traders on the other side of line of control. Media report emanating from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) have revealed that POK traders have suspended trade and asked the government to either withdraw the fresh taxes or put a blanket ban on the cross-LOC trade.
These reports maintain that angry traders set on fire the goods imported from this side of the Line of Control (LoC) as a mark of protest against alleged high-handedness of the officials of Central Bureau of Revenue (CBR) and Custom Department. These officials, according to media reports, seized over a dozen vehicles laden with goods and were allegedly doing this to force traders to pay bribe to them.
They said that if they refuse to grease their palms, heavy tax duties despite are slapped on them despite repeated pronouncements of both governments of India and Pakistan that it is entirely a tax-free trade initiated by them as a major CBM to facilitate Kashmiris living on either side of the line of control. On this side of line of control, traders have decided to support their agitating colleagues on the other side of line of control.
Traders of both Chaknoti-Islamabad and Poonch- Rawlakote routes have unanimously decided to suspend trade from this side of line of control. They said that the step has been taken in the wake of the reports emanating from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) that heavy taxes are being slapped on those traders who do not pay 'Hafta' to the officials of custom department.
They further disclosed that decision to suspend trade 'temporarily' for one week was taken after due consultations with all the members of trading fraternity on this side of line of control. These traders said that POK traders would get boost in their movement against the undue interference by the custom officials.
"We support them since they were with us when we suspended trade over the imposition of sales tax and VAT on the items being imported through cross-LOC trade," said President of Chamber of LoC Traders Union Pawan Anand while talking to Early Times. He added that a conglomerate of the cross-LOC traders met here today and after deliberating over the issue, decided to support their POK counterparts.
The president did not elaborate on what their next course of action would be but it has been reliably learnt that they too are going to hold protest demonstrations against the POK government for harassing poor traders who are working to heal wounds of the yesteryears and bring the two separated brothers together. He reiterated that POK traders suspended trade for four months in our support.
"We have no reservations in doing the same for them. Though we know that trucks laden with goods are waiting on the other side of line of control for being unloaded but we are helpless because we have to support our brothers in their hour of test," informed a cross-LOC trader. He disclosed that POK traders have been asking their government since long to redress their issues but to no avail.
India and Pakistani traders have traded goods in worth Rs. 134 crores in Indian currency (export) and Rs. 232 crores in Pak currency (import) since the start of trade via Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point in Poonch district on October 10, 2008. |
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