By IANS,
Islamabad/New Delhi : The India-Pakistan cross border trade and bus services continued to be hit Wednesday over the detention of a Pakistani truck driver for allegedly ferrying 100 kg of narcotics camouflaged under almonds. Pakistan Wednesday demanded the driver’s immediate release and summoned an Indian diplomat over the issue.
Terming the detention of truck driver Muhammad Shafi a violation of the spirit of “cross-LoC trade”, the Pakistan foreign office Wednesday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gopal Baglay in Islamabad over the detention and demanded his immediate release.
On Tuesday, India’s ministry of external affairs summoned Pakistan’s acting high commissioner Mansoor Ahmad in New Delhi in connection with the stoppage of trans-LoC trade and bus services.
According to a Pakistani foreign office statement, the government in its demarche to India raised concerns over the detention of driver Shafi, who was plying his truck across the Chakothi-Uri crossing point Jan 17.
Pakistan reminded India “that the detention is in violation of the agreed modalities and the spirit of the Cross-LoC (Line of Control) trade”.
Pakistan demanded that the driver be “immediately released and the material evidence along with the investigation report be handed over for detailed probe and legal action” by the government of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
It also asked India to “immediately take necessary steps to resolve the matter – enabling early resumption of cross-LoC trade and bus service”.
Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said that while the foreign ministries of the two sides were working towards resolving the matter through diplomatic channels “it is indeed surprising that Pakistan chose to hold hostage trans-LoC trade and travel bringing immense humanitarian benefits to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, for the sake of people indulging in drug trafficking”.
Last week, authorities at the Salamabad trade facilitation centre on LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district recovered over 100 kg of brown sugar from a truck loaded with almonds from Pakistan.
Pakistan has claimed diplomatic immunity for the truck driver.
On Jan 18, when 27 trucks from India went across the border with goods, they were not allowed to return.
Pakistan has also indicated that it would not allow the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalakote bus services to run till the impounded Pakistani truck and detained driver were released.