Amarnath land row - Chronology of events

India suspends cross-LoC trade with Pakistan, says routes were being misused to push drugs
To Pakistani observers it appeared that India was eager to provide a vent for the steam building up in Kashmir over the Amarnath land row earlier that year, when there was a blockade of the Valley by the Jammu-based BJP and other Hindutva groups. That in turn led to the demand for opening the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road. Separatists and others called a “Muzaffarabad March” on August 11. Firing on the march left 5 people dead. The worst incident took place at Chalan, near Uri, where a group on way to LoC was fired upon killing senior freedom leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz. After news of the death of Sheikh Aziz spread, angry protesters in Srinagar attacked the neighbouring police station at Karan Nagar and dismantled a CRPF-manned sand-bagged bunker. 

Last week, the government cited malpractice and the involvement of drug trafking  groups in the trade to suspend the LoC trade. There have been previous suspensions. Once in 2017, trade was suspended for 40 days after drugs were discovered in a truck from Muzaffarabad. The longest suspension came during the post-Burhan Wani killing agitation in the Valley, for three months. There were other brief spells when trade was suspended, mostly at Chakan da Bagh, on account of heavy cross-border shelling.

More details:  https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/gk-magazine/amarnath-land-row-chronology-of-events/38658.html)

Cross-LOC Trade and narcotic drugs

Slamabad Cross-Loc Trade Union on Monday reached city centre Lal Chowk to protest against the suspension of cross-LoC trade by the Home Ministry of India.

Scores of the traders along with union’s General Secretary Mohammad Shafi and chairman of cross-LoC Trade Association assemble at Partap Park in Srinagar to revoke the decision of cross-border trade suspension.

Cross-LoC traders protest at press colony in Srinagar on April 22, 2019

The protesting traders said that the cross border trade started by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2008, has led the thousands of families across border to come on the roads. “The chain is associated with lakhs of people across the border and if the decision is not being revoked it will devastate all of them,” General Secretary Slamabad Cross-Loc Trade Union Mohammad Shafi said “The sudden decision has saddened the traders across the border,” he added.

Hilal Ahmed, Chairman Cross Loc Traders Association briefed the media reporters that trade started in 2008, is associated with lakhs of people across the border. He said that it was the traders demand from day first to provide the full-proof mechanism to the traders operating across the border.

On April 19, we were informed about the suspension of the trade, whatever items we had taken from this side are stuck at different places while most of the items have rotten, as fruits cannot remain fresh for a long time.

He said the authorities concerned with it should have at least informed the traders before the suspension order, the decision has literally devasted the families.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) extend their support to the traders and sought the early redressal of the grave issue.

“KCCI is in support of the traders and if there is any misuse of the system its government’s responsibility to look over it, why wasn’t it, suspended from last eleven years,” senior vice president KCCI Nasir Hameed Khan said.

Earlier, Home Ministry of India ordered the suspension of cross-LoC trade via Salamabad (Uri) and Chakan-da-Bagh (Poonch) routes.

“The Govt of India has received reports that cross LoC trade routes being misused by Pakistan based elements. The misuse involves illegal inflows of weapons, narcotics & fake currency etc,” said the MHA, in an order.

However, reports have been received that the LoC trade is being misused on very large scale. It has been revealed that the trade has changed its character to mostly third party trade and products from other regions, including foreign countries, are finding their way through this route. Unscrupulous and anti national elements are using the route as a conduit for Hawala money, drugs and weapons, under the garb of this trade. Though this is yet to be established, the loud thinking on the barter trade coincided with the recovery of 66.50 kgs of heroin and brown sugar in 300 packets from a truck that had come from PaK on July 21. The driver Syed Yousf Shah, a resident of Charwaya village was arrested, so was the Pampore based fake trader  Musadiq Masoodi S/o. Mohd. Afzal Masoodi, Tajamul Masoodi S/o.Badurdin Masoodi R/o.Bagander  and Nayeem Bhat (Pampore)  in whose name the consignment of clothes had come from Anjum Zaman. The consignment was basically for M/S Kuloo Suppliers owned by Gul Ayazudin Gouhar at Fruit Mandi Parimpora Srinagar. But he had sold his turn to Masoodi.

The order said the cross-LoC trade mechanism is therefore suspended till a stricter regulatory regime is put in place.

“This is to ensure that only bonafide trade takes place, for the benefit of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, through this mechanism,” reads the order issued by MHA.

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Loc trade news

Exclusive: NIA report claims money raised through LoC trade used to fan support for Islamic State in Kashmir

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in the Kashmir unrest has revealed that the money raised through cross-LoC trade between India and Pakistan was used to fan the support for different militant outfits including the Islamic State in Jammu and Kashmir.

Representational image. Reuters

The NIA which has tightened the noose around the separatist leaders has also named some more Hurriyat leaders for spreading the unrest in Kashmir. It has named the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) vice chairman, Bashir Ahmad Bhat and president of Salamabad Traders Union, Hilal Turki, for spreading the unrest. Turki, however, said that he can’t talk as he was busy attending a mourning ritual.

NIA spokesman, Alok Mittal, said that the investigating agency was probing the Kashmir unrest and "we are in the process of collecting the evidence to file the charges against people in the Court".

The NIA report, which is based on the disclosure statement of some protected witnesses in the case, has also named some LoC traders including Ghulam Geelani Chhota, 50, of Lal Bazar area of Srinagar and Bashir Ahmad Kullu, 50, for taking an active part in agitations during which IS flags were also waved.

The NIA has also disclosed that it was through the official connivance that the traders were under-valuing their goods at the LoC checking point on the Srinagar-Muzafarbad road and the money that was raised through hawala transactions was paid to stone-pelters as well as the militants in Kashmir. It has noted that one of the traders Raja Zahoor Khan, who runs a shop at Parimpora Fruit Mandi, in Srinagar, would transport the California almonds of higher quantity than was allowed along the Uri-Muzaffarabad road and sell the excess quantity and pass on the money to the separatist leaders.

As per the NIA, while only eight tonnes of goods were allowed at one time from Pakistan to India, Raja would import nine tonnes from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and it was sold to traders in  New Delhi. The cost of extra four-five tonnes which was transported on the cross–LoC road in a week was between Rs 20- 25 lakh and since the trade was in barter, the commodities of lesser value were sent to PoK and the money thus raised was used for funding separatist activities in Kashmir.

The report has also noted that separatist leaders have been fuelling the agitation in particular areas. While it states that the JKLF leader Bhat was responsible for ensuring stone pelting in the Civil Lines areas, Hurriyat (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, was doing it through his supporters in the Old City area of downtown. It said that in the highly volatile areas of South Kashmir including the districts of Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian, it was Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, who was responsible for igniting anti-India activities. About Bhat, the report said that he is the "main supporter of JKLF and raises funds" through cross-LoC trade.

Also, the report noted that the some of the LoC traders are running multiple firms and are even visiting UAE to stay in touch with the Pakistani traders. While part of the money was allegedly used by the separatists to invest in real estate business on benami transactions, some of the LoC traders were also running proxy firms.

Hurriyat (G) spokesman, Ghulam Ahmad Gulzar, however, said that the allegations against the separatist leader were baseless and "part of the ploy to defame the Kashmiri freedom struggle".

The report also notes that LoC trader, Raja, has been visiting Dubai in "every six months" and "other than the funds raised by virtue of cross LoC trade" he is continuously getting funds from Pakistan "through hawala channels". "In the year 2013 his bank account in the Jammu and Kashmir bank Parimpora branch was blocked by the bank because of the reflection of huge transactions from Dubai based firms into his account." It has been noted that he also owns two cold storage facilities in Industrial Estate Zainakote as well as three kanals of land at Hyderpora and some other real estate assets.

"JKLF is responsible for distributing money in Civil Line areas of Srinagar for funding stone pelting and demonstrations. Bashir Ahmad Bhat is the main supporter of JKLF and raises funds through Raja Zahoor Khan," the disclosure statement of a protected witness read.

It has also been found that some of the traders whose business turnover ran into crores would regularly meet the separatist leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and JKLF chairman, Yaseen Malik.

Some of the separatist leaders who are already in NIA custody have also been accused of paying the stone-pelters and fanning the pro-freedom sentiment during the funerals of the militants. The NIA investigations were prompted after the agitation in 2016 which was spurred after the killing of top Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander, Burhan Wani. (https://www.firstpost.com/india/exclusive-nia-report-claims-money-raised-through-loc-trade-used-to-fan-support-for-islamic-state-in-kashmir-4389939.html)

Freedom of Kashmir: Let them go…

By: Madhav Desai

Kashmir, an issue of pride for India and Pakistan has been burning since the both countries got their independence from the British Raj.

Its a sensitive issue to talk about on a blog, especially by an Indian, as the sentiments that prevail in India, can easily result in to burning my effigies just for expressing my views here.

Do not get me wrong, as I am pro-Indian and I love the Indian Nation more than anything in this world.

Okay coming back to Kashmir, there has been a problem there for long but since last couple of weeks its been a chaos. Many of you will remember that about a year back, Kashmiris were up in arms when the Govt. decided to give away some land to Amarnath Temple Board. People in Kashmir proclaimed that the Yatra has been taking place since many years without any interruption so why give away Kashmiri land to Hindu Temple. Well they easily forgot that right in heart of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and other towns / villages / cities of India  acres of Land have been encroched by Waqf Board, Mosques, Mouselleium and other Muslim institutions, and its a pity and really low of Kashmiri people to ask this back.

Now, there is another observation, the native language of Kashmir is Kashmiri, Dogri, etc but the guys who claim to be Kashmiris and are pro-Pakistani speak and write URDU which has nothing to do with Kashmir.

Secondly, the whole lifeline of Kashmir works through Hindu / Sikh Jammu and other parts of India. They dont understand that they will starve if there is no India to support them. At the time of Amarnath Land issue Kashmiris started walking towards the border in hope to join Pakistan. Well, if they really had guts to do that then they should join Pakistan, but let me give you guys some facts so that general Kashmiris can make up their mind.

Pakistan is a failed state and their Foreign Minister had to recently go to NATO to ask for monies to fund their armies and government institution. Anything that Pakistan has is either made in PR China or USA. Moreover they hate USA who are really “anna-datta” (Feeding God) of Pakistan. They never had a good stable government in their history and the militants there thinks they can take on the world (well they think like this but they actually forget that they fight from caves).

States fail, States succeed; there was even time in India when Indira Gandhi went towards declaring an emergency. the Indian state failed (its another thing that it rebounded and made in to one of the most successful states of 21st century). The point here is that Kashmiris dont think things through. They take emotional decisions based on some uneducated, class-less leaders who happen to be a separatists.

While being in NCC for couple of years, I attended one of their National Camps and met a few Hindu Kashmiris as well as Muslim Kashmiris back in 1996 they all seemed friendly. My Hindu Kashmiri friend who used to live in Doda district told me that on the day of independence the Pak-supporters come and put Pak flags on their houses and they cant remove them. This is not done.

98% of Kashmiri Pandits are out of Kashmir, still 13% of Indian Muslims live in safety and prosper everyday in Majority-Hindu India, how is this fair. I strongly believe that any majority whether Hindus or Muslims should protect the minority that live side-by-side with them. India would be colour-less without all the Muslim that it has, as you can clearly see that Kashmir is colour-less without any Hindu Kashmiri Pandits.

Another good example is Pakistan, they got rid of majority of non-muslim population at the time of Partition, even though I believe Jinnah was a democrat and was secular. Pakistan has not seen a day of peace since independence and if Kashmiris reject India, they wont see a day of peace either as they would be crushed by China, oppressed by Pakistan and would never be again accepted or protected by India.

I feel sorry for Kashmiris who dont see that the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir should really be independent, if Pakistan was really pro-Kashmir, instead they gave 1/3rd of POK to China as a gift (didnt even fight for it – as it was integral part of Kashmir before independence and during the British / Mughal Raj).  Even today there is no government and 100s of issues in Azad Kashmir, there are militant training camps being run and bred there. If this is what youth of Kashmir wants then be it, let them enjoy that sort of life instead of democratic living.

For Kashmiris there are only two options, stay with India and join the wave of economic and social reform that country is going through (instead of pushing it down) or join Pakistan and share their misery (from food shortage to international begging), but remember there is no third way as Pakistan can never let you guys be independent.

For India there leaves only one option whether they solve it today or 100 years down the line, if Kashmiris hate calling themselves Indians and dont want to be recognised as Indian (and also dont support our secularism), then its better to let them go, instead of spending billions on them – we can easily find a decent cause in any of our states from Jammu (+ Leh and Ladakh) to Kerala.

Whatever all concerned parties decide they should look at their Wives and Kids and see for their better, prosperous future.