Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 18: In a bid to boost cross-LoC trade between India and Pakistan, a 10-member delegation of Salamabad Cross LoC Traders Union from Uri in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district is scheduled to visit Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) tomorrow to meet their counterparts.
This is for the first time that a trade delegation from this part is visiting PoK on its own.
The ten member delegation would cross over to Pakistan via Wagah border tomorrow in the morning and would hold series of meetings with their counterparts at Chakoti and Rawalakot in PoK. The General Secretary of Salamabad Traders Union, Hilal Ahmad Turki, told Excelsior over phone that the motive of the visit is to “strengthen the cross-LoC trade and create mutual understanding between the two sides”.
“We will have a detailed discussion with our counterparts at two trade points including Chakoti and Rawalakot which has not taken place since the corss-LoC trade began. We have several issues in our agenda which include increase of items, mechanism to replace barter trade with currency trade and to set up a joint federation of all four trade points,” the trade leader said.
Turki said the non-availability of facilities including banking facilities and communication of trade items stopped the trade to increase day by day and the visit is aimed to give boost to this trade which is a biggest Confidence Building Measure.
Elaborating the proposal of setting up a joint federation, Turki said that it will help the traders of all four points including Chakoti, Salamabad, Poonch and Rawalakot to take up the issues that are being faced by them with their respective Governments for the quick redressel.
The delegation, which is scheduled to stay in PoK for 15 days, will visit also Muzaffarabad where it would hold a meeting with Director General Trade and at Salamabad it would meet the concerned Ministry and would also submit a memorandum to it.
The traders from this part of Kashmir would take up the issue of replacing barter system with the Pakistani authorities.
He said that they would also propose the holding of trade exhibitions on all four points on both sides of LoC.
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