Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Dec 17: In a move to boost cross -LoC trade, business leaders of the two parts of divided J&K are meeting in Dubai tomorrow to discuss the problems being faced in the trade and find out the ways and means to remove bottlenecks in carrying out the free trade between J&K and PoK.
The traders are scheduled to raise issues of communication, banking facilities, customs, travel, road and aerial connectivity at the meeting. Since the LoC trade was started in 2008, absence of these facilities has been main hindrance in smooth flow of trade commodities and transaction of business, official sources told the Excelsior.
Sources said the leaders of business community from both sides have reached there and formal discussions will be held tomorrow.
From the State, six trade union leaders’ delegation which is headed by Y V Sharma, former president of Joint Chamber of Commerce, J&K, has already left for Dubai to participate in the vital meeting, sources added.
Sources said Hilal Turki general secretary of cross LoC Salamabad Traders Union is also participating in this meeting which as per routine is held between the traders of two parts of J&K every year in a third country to discuss the ways and means for promoting the trade further.
Others top trade leaders from Kashmir include Mohammad Yasin Khan, Chairman Kashmir Economic Alliance, Mushtaq Ahmad Wani, president Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, president Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir are also participating, sources added.
Sources said from Jammu, President cross LoC Trade, Chakan da Bagh, Pawan Anand and other leaders are attending the meeting.
Sources said the PoK side will be led by Zulfkar Abasi of Chamber of Commerce PoK and Khurshid Ahmed Mir of LoC Traders Union of PoK along with other members of trading community will attend the meeting.
Confirming, this Mohammed Tariq president, cross LoC Salamabad Trades Union said the leaders of trading fraternity of two parts of divided J&K have already reached Dubai to hold formal discussions there.
Terming the meeting crucial and important, he said the trade delegations of two sides will discuss the modalities for boosting and revitalizing economy of the State as well as PoK.
“The meeting between trade leaders is an important move towards confidence building as far as trade is concerned. It is aimed at boosting and enhancing trade between LoC traders,’’ Tariq added.
He said the participants will discuss the possibility of making LoC a free trade zone for promotion of economy in both the parts of J&K.
Tariq said that the traders from both sides are facing many problems and during the meeting ways and means will be discussed to simplify permit system for traders so that they can visit each others side easily and discuss the issues with traders of two parts on ground besides make an independent survey of markets.
Tariq said the traders of J&K sending goods to Delhi and other parts of the country visit there freely and tally the accounts in case there is any problem to remove the doubts but the same is not possible in LoC trade. He said since the inception of the trade in 2008 it has not given any benefit to trading community of two sides as out of 21 items identified for the trade between J&K and PoK only three to four items are allowed at present.
“So this way the trade between two sides can’t flourish. Presently form J&K fresh fruit, spices and embroidery items are sent to PoK while dates, dry fruit and embroidery items are imported from there on barter system,” he added.
Moreover, there is problem from PoK side and the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industries (JKJCCI) has not been able to sort out these problems especially faced by traders across LoC. The PoK traders are facing customs problem from their side and the customs officials have many times seized their vehicles with goods. The JKJCCI has failed to sort out this as well as other like issues, he added.
He said besides there is no mechanism to tally the accounts by the traders of two sides in case of a dispute in the accounts as the traders of J&K are unable to visit PoK because the administration across LoC has not permitted the same. “There is no problem from our side as PoK traders delegation visited J&K thrice to survey the markets here and have an interaction with the trading community,. But we have never been allowed to visit PoK’’, he added.
He said “we sought permission to visit PoK and the Government from this side was almost ready to grant permission but the hurdles are from across LoC. Tariq said that these issues will be threadbare discussed by the traders of both the sides in their meeting. He said the delegation will return by Saturday.”
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