By News Agency of Kashmir,
Poonch : Traders of Jammu and Kashmir will dispatch all items across the border ‘free of cost’ when the Indo-Pakistan LoC (Line of Control) trade is opened for trade tomorrow.
The traders feel to contribute to the peace in their own way by winning over the hearts of the people in Pakistan Administered Kashmir. The residents and the traders have collected goods, mostly food items, to dispatch on the opening day of the cross-border trade.
The traders across the border are expected to reciprocate the goodwill gesture.
The traders said that the first consignment would be a symbol of friendship and confidence rather than symbolizing monetary benefits.
The ‘free’ consignment would have carpets, rugs, wall hangings, shawls and stoles, namdas (woollen mattings), embroidered items apart from pulses, black mushrooms, Kashmiri spices, honey and medicinal plants.
The trade route between India and Pakistan will open via Uri-Muzaffarabad road on October 21 to be followed by opening another route in Poonch-Rawalkot section in Jammu region on October 28.
There will be a trade office at Rangar including a truck terminal, godowns, custom and immigration offices, scanning chambers with X-ray machines, weighing bridge and security posts.
Chakan-da-Bagh was opened on November 21, 2005 for providing relief to the people hit by the massive earthquake in Pakistan Administered Kashmir on October 8, 2005.
However, President Jammu Kashmir People’s Party (JKPP), Sardar Khalid Ibrahim Khan said at a press conference on Monday that unilateral trade relations with India were not fruitful for Pakistan, because it was totally against the opinion of the Kashmiri people.
“The government of Pakistan should explain its policies on Kashmir issue and start trade relations with India without any ban and through police Check Posts,” he added.
Sardar Ibrahim said that if the government of Pakistan started trade relations with India, it means that Pakistan has accepted that Kashmir is part of India.
Meanwhile the stage is set for the start of trade between two parts of Kashmir across the Line of Control with effect from Tuesday. Pakistan and India recently decided to launch trans-LoC trade between PAK and Jammu & Kashmir. A trade delegation from PAK Chamber of Commerce & Industry also made a week long visit to Kashmir to discuss the modalities.
Trial run of dry trucks has already been conducted successfully on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawlakot routes yesterday.
On Tuesday 15 trucks with specified gift items are due to come to PAK on Tuesday from Kashmir. An equal number of trucks carrying gift items are scheduled to leave for occupied Kashmir from Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot the same day.
The infrastructure is ready with Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) in place at Chakothi near Muzaffarabad. Other such facilities have been set up at Salamabad (Uri) on Muzaffarabad-Srinagar highway and Taitrinot, Rawalakot PAK and Rangar in Poonch district.
A successful rehearsal for launch of cross-LoC trade was conducted at TFC Titrinot in PAK. Deputy Commissioner, Rawlakot supervised the trial.
The 15 trucks from Kashmir will include three from Poonch traders and 12 others from Jammu.
A total of 21 items each way have been approved by Joint Working Group of India and Pakistan for import and export between the two parts of Kashmir.
As decided trucks service will ply twice a week for both sides of the LoC through stipulated Srinagar- Muzaffarabad and Rawlakot-Poonch routes.
All security arrangements have been put in place.