Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Feb 4: Pakistan is keen on release of its truck driver arrested last month at Line of Control (LoC) by Police with huge quantity of narcotics even as India today handed over to them documents relating narcotics seizure.
The fourth round of meeting took place at Aman Setu on the LoC in Uri sector of North Kashmir this afternoon to resolve the trans-LoC trade standoff after last month’s drug seizure.
A top official said that India shared a copy of FIR lodged at Police Station, Uri in the seizure of 114 packets of Brown Sugar from the PoK truck bearing registration number RIS-102137 at Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre, Uri last month and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report regarding the narcotics. It may be mentioned here that FSL report had found the narcotics recovered by police is Brown Sugar.
Sources said India demanded that Pakistan should also share the details of the investigation they have carried out in the drug seizure. “However, Pakistan didn’t share their part of investigation with Indian authorities”, sources added.
“Indian officials during the meeting suggested that let the drivers of both the countries be let off and law take the course regarding the fate of the arrested driver”, said sources.
Sources said that Pakistan was keen that the arrested driver be released so as to end the standoff. “They asked Indian officials to expedite the investigations and legal formalities and produce challan before the court”, sources added.
Sources said that Pakistani authorities told their Indian counterparts that they have huge public pressure and LoC trade will not carry on if the driver is not released.
Sources said that Police may produce challan against the driver and court may grant him bail as police investigations have not found any involvement of the truck driver in the drug trafficking. “The trucks are being loaded somewhere else and driver just takes the truck across and it is the duty of security agencies at Trade Facilitation Centre Chakoti, PoK to check the consignments before allowing it to cross over”, sources added.
Sources said that if the challan is produced, the judge may grant him bail on the basis of police investigations. “However, till the release of the driver, the trade standoff may continue”, sources added.
Today’s meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Ghulam Mohammad Khawaja, Trade Facilitation Officer Salamabad, Shoukat Ahmad Rather, Sub-district Magistrate Uri, Abdul Aziz and Station House Officer Uri and Director General trans-LoC Trade, Retired Brigadier Mohammad Ismael Khan, Deputy Commissioner Muzaffarabad, Bashir Ahmad Mughal and Trade Facilitation Officer Chakoti, PoK, Basharat Amin.
Pakistan has detained 27 truck drivers and their trucks at Chakoti Trade Facilitation Centre and refused to accept 48 PoK trucks and their drivers after Police arrested PoK truck driver on January 17.
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