By IANS,
Jammu : Carpets, wall hangings, vegetables and fruits will be sent as “gifts” to the people of Pakistan-administered Kashmir by traders in Jammu and Kashmir in the first convoy of about a dozen trucks that will cross the Line of Control (LoC) from Poonch Tuesday.
The cross-LoC trade will start from Oct 21 on two routes – Srinagar-Muzaffarabad in the Kashmir Valley and Poonch-Rawalkote in Jammu region.
According to official sources, traders from Jammu city and the border district of Poonch have decided to send consignments of local produce to the other side of Kashmir free on the first day of the cross border trade on the Poonch-Rawalkote route.
“All the items would be free,” officials associated with the cross-LoC trade told IANS.
Poonch traders have said they would like to send the items as “gifts” as part of a goodwill gesture.
“The cross border trade is not for profit,” said Yashpal, a trader in Jammu. “It is about building confidence and friendship.”
There are 21 items on the trading list of either side.
Earlier, the Poonch-Rawalkote road was to open for trade Oct 28, but it was decided to start the trade simultaneously on Oct 21 from both the routes, officials said.