By NAK,
Jammu : Finding it thorny to go with cross LoC trade, PaK Chamber of commerce president Zulfikar Abbassi today said that the communication, postal and banking services have an important role to play and in absence of these facilities the traders of both the side will face difficulties.
19 member PaK delegations, which arrived here on Sunday today, visited an exhibition of goods likely to be traded from Jammu before visiting Industrial complexes in Samba and Bari Brahmana.
Pakistan administered Kashmir Chamber of commerce president, Abasi told reporters on the side lines of the exhibition that for carrying forward the trade relations the communication links between the two parts of divided Kashmir were important. “see how a business man can go for trade with the region where from neither he can receive a telephone call not make transactions in the bank”, Abbassi said.
He said that the postal services, Parcel and Courier service’s are also of much importance for the proposed trade across the LoC.
“How business is possible without the communication links which needed to be streamlined for smooth trading between the two divided parts” he added further.
He criticized the delay caused by the authorities of both sides in making travel permits and said that if such delay is done with the business class then trading will not be as good as one dreams off.
“There should be free access for the business class of both the sides so that they do not face any difficulties” he said.
He said it was very unfortunate that load of the trucks have been kept 1 Mts which should be increased to 1.5 Mts. “the trucks of both sides should be allowed to cross LoC and carry normal load other wise it would be very difficult to arrange transport for the trading goods.
President Chamber of Commerce Jammu, Ram Sahai acknowledging the apprehension of the PaK delegation told News Agency of Kashmir that with our efficient communication and banking services trade is not possible.
He said that both the countries should ease the communication and banking services to make the cross LoC trade a success.
Referring to the conversation with Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Ram Sahai told NAK that Jammu and Kashmir Bank has an old license with it and they can open the branch in Muzaffarabad.
“We demand that a branch of Jammu and Kashmir Bank be opened in Muzaffarabad and a branch of PaK bank be opened in J&K so that the traders can make transactions easily” he told NAK.
Another member of the Jammu chamber of commerce the transportation and other facilities should be eased for better trade relation between the two parts of divided Kashmir.
He said the delegation was satisfied over the goods displayed which includes maize floor, Rajmash, Honey, Imli besides other items to be traded from this part of Kashmir.
Earlier the President of the Jammu Pharmaceutical Distributors Association, Rakesh Gupta and the President of the Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Ram Sahai jointly welcome the Trade Delegation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Muzaffarabad, led by President Zulfiqar Abbasi to the city of temples at hotel KC Residency.
The President of the Jammu Pharmaceutical Distributors Association, Rakesh Gupta welcomes the step taken by the respective governments allowing trade across LOC and that too, duty free. “This step is considered to be of utmost importance as far as the pharmaceutical market is concerned” he asserted.
In comparison, Pakistan has only 150 pharma manufacturing plants, 90% of which are based at Karachi and 10% in Lahore. The multi national contribute a major portion of pharma in Pakistan.
We request Ram Sahai and Zulfiqar Abbasi to come out with a joint statement that politics, region and religion have nothing to do with the trade. We need to identify such forces that are trying to disrupt the LOC trade for political reasons and gains. These forces need to be isolated once and for all.