At Attari, porters protest trucks’ cross-border journey

By IANS

Attari border (Punjab) : A historic move by India and Pakistan to allow trucks to carry goods to each other’s territory through this joint border check post from Monday was marred by protests from porters who, fearing loss of work, hurled stones at some trucks.


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Up to eight trucks were damaged here as porters threw stones soon after Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal flagged off the first truck carrying tomatoes.

“Some trucks were damaged in the stone throwing,” a Punjab police inspector said at the site of the incident.

But they were not those going to Pakistan.

Till Sunday, trucks from either side were not allowed to go to the other side and porters used to carry goods manually across the border.

There are nearly 1,500 porters on the Indian side and a similar number on the Pakistani side.

The Indian porters were apprehensive despite Badal’s assurance that no one will lose his work due to the new facility that will boost trade in select items between the two countries by four to five times.

“We will not allow anyone to lose his work. No licence (of porters) will be cancelled. In fact, they will have more work with the volume of trade going up in coming months,” Badal said.

It was for the first time in 60 years that India and Pakistan allowed trucks from both sides to cross the international border.

Under the agreement between the two countries, the trucks will go up to the customs house in either country and unload the cargo. They will return after unloading.

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