Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 24: Holding it a step in the right direction to review the operating of cross LoC trade, the former Union Minister, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta said the political decision was taken over a decade back without making proper arrangements to check the malpractices and the mischief of those who have launched proxy war against India in Kashmir by indulging in cross border terror and destruction.
In a statement, Prof Gupta said the trade was launched without any concrete measures of the payment of the cost of goods to be bartered and the mode of determining the cost of the goods imported and exported. More so, he added, installing of body scanners to check the smuggling of contrabands like the explosives, weapons, fake currency, heroin and other narcotics was not done and there were little measures to ensure the security aspect especially when there is no let up in the designs of elements of violence terming it as Jehad and Azadi.
Prof Gupta also questioned the trade of those items which were never produced on both sides of the State although in the agreement it was clearly mentioned that only the articles produced locally on both sides of LoC would be a part of the Tax Free barter system.
“But contrary to this plan of things, mostly articles which were never produced in any part of the State remained the major items of import and export,” he said and pointed out imports mainly include the almonds of California, Shohare, Khajoor, Jai Niaz, Peshawari Shoes etc. And from this side the export items include coconut, bananas, Red-chillies, Dhaniya etc, which do not form part of the produce of this State, he added.
Prof Gupta said that this trade comes to be scandalous all the more that if these items are imported or exported via Wagah border or from places in the country, these are liable under heavy import and export duty but this LoC trade was going on Tax Free. He further said that it also needed deep probing that who were the genuine traders and who were operating by proxy and their links with controversial elements.
Prof Gupta assailed controversial politicians of the Valley including those of the Congress and others who always try to fan communal and secessionist sentiments to mislead the people on various issues and create problems in the troubled Kashmir.
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