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.
1333333
