Shabir Dar
Srinagar, Oct 20: Traders from both sides of LoC maintain that had the four governments – government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), government of Jammu and Kashmir, and governments of India and Pakistan –   implemented the recommendations put forth by Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industries (JCCI), the trade would have flourished to the expected levels.
“We are not satisfied with the present status of the cross-LoC trade. It is not going up to the expected levels,” says Zulfikar Abbasi, President of JCCI, in an online interview with Rising Kashmir.
 “There is no infrastructure in place for the smooth functioning of the trade. As governments seem non-serious in their approach in facilitating the trade,” Abbasi laments.
The cross-LoC trade between two divided Kashmirs was started by India and Pakistan on October 21, 2008, as part of the Confidence Building Measures (CBM), trader’s delegation from AJK headed by Abbasi visited this part of Kashmir. During their 15-day visit to the state, the AJK trader’s delegation had deliberations with their counterparts in Kashmir and Jammu, which resulted in their formation of the joint chamber.
JCC in its recommendations to both Indian and Pakistani governments demanded that the telecommunication links between the two Kashmiris be restored, banking facility be created, trade permits to traders for multiple entry be given to traders from both sides, trade should be demand-driven, and the list of items to be traded be put to review after every three months for its augmentation, besides certain other things.    

“The two governments accepted all our recommendations and promised that all these things will be implemented. But that never happened, even though one year elapsed since then,” said President of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), Nazir Ahmad Dar.  “Had these recommendations been implemented, the cross-LoC trade will have flourished to new heights.”
However vice-president, Salamabad Chakoti Trade Union, Tariq Ahmad Khan, seems optimistic. “This trade is alive because of the small traders, who are emotionally attached to it. We will keep the trade alive till our last breath,” he says adding that the people who actually started the trade turned their back towards it, “as government discouraged all of them.The dates from Pakistan administered Kashmir were allowed to this part for past nine months but were banned from August 22 this year (the second day of fasting). For nine months the government had no problem with Pakistani dates, but suddenly it banned on second day of Ramadan, knowing well that in Ramadan dates have huge market in Jammu and Kashmir.”