MUZAFFARABAD: The intra-Kashmir trade through the two crossing points on the Line of Control (LoC) may meet a tragic fate as Indian officials have refused to accept items which they allege are not from Pakistan controlled Azad Kashmir.
On Aug 29, Indian authorities at their trade facilitation centre in Salamabad, on the other side of Chakothi, returned two trucks from AJK carrying mangoes, saying that the produce belonged to Pakistan, and not Azad Kashmir, Dawn newspaper reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, the Indian decision has caused anger among traders on both sides of the divide. They went on a strike on Sept 3, saying the standard operating procedure (SOP) had no mention of the origin of a product.
The same day, Indian officials conveyed to their counterparts in AJK that trade could not be carried on for some time because the traders on their side had gone on a strike.
On Wednesday, the AJK Trade and Travel Authority (Tata), which deals with intra-Kashmir trade and travel, sent a written request to officials on the other side for a meeting at the Kaman Bridge on Monday to sort out the issue.
On Monday, Tata Director General retired Brig Mohammad Ismail himself went to the crossing point at 10.30am, but no one turned up from the other side, Dawn report said.
In the afternoon, Ehsanul Haq, custodian of intra-Kashmir trade at the Salamabad centre, met Azad Kashmirs Trade Facilitation Officer Basharat Iqbal and handed him a copy of a notification from Indias Central Board of Excise and Customs, stating that the goods which had their origin in Pakistan, and not in AJK, could not be allowed to be traded across the LoC.
The trade across the Line of Control is conducted four days a week from Tuesday to Friday.
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