Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Jan 19: As Pakistan refuses to return Trans-Line of Control (LoC) trade trucks unless authorities here release driver of the Pakistan occupied (PoK) truck who was arrested by police in Uri, Baramulla after a major narcotics haul was recovered from his truck on Friday at Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre, Uri, the standoff continued.
Sources said that Mohammad Shafiq Awan son of Abdul Aziz Awan of Shard, Muzaffarabad, PoK from whose truck 114 kilogramme narcotics was recovered was today produced before Judicial Magistrate and he was sent to 10 days police remand.
Awan was detained by police initially after 114 packets of narcotics was recovered from his truck bearing registration number RIS-102137 during searches at Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre, Uri on Friday and was formally arrested yesterday.
Police so far arrested three people who are affiliated with the trans-LoC trade. They include Shoukat Habib of M/s Shoukat Habib Trading Corporation Bandipora and Tariq Sheikh of Baramulla who is trading through Shoukat Habib’s company and Mushtaq Ahmad Khan of Uri, who is a trade agent.
Sources said that involvement of two PoK based Kashmiris in the narcotics trade has surfaced during the questioning of the arrested traders. They are Fayaz Ahmad and Altaf Ahmad, who are associated with Al-Fajar Trading company that had send the consignment of almonds from PoK.
Sources said that police have detained three more persons and they are being questioned. “The consignment of narcotics was booked for Tariq Sheikh but actual recipient of the consignment is not known yet. Police is looking for the main trading agent of the narcotics”, sources added.
As the stand of continued and trucks remained stranded on either side of the LoC, the families and drivers are worried lot. A 57-year-old PoK driver, Mohammad Shabir Khan son of Ghulam Din Khan resident of Pinari near Chakoti Muzaffarabad, told Excelsior that he is worried as he has small children and aged mother back home. “They would be much worried about our safety. We want this standoff to end soon so that we can return home”, he added.
Mohammad Muzaffar of Uri whose son Shakeel Ahmad has gone across the LoC with his truck says he is concerned about his son’s safety. “My son and his truck is across and we are suffering daily losses of Rs 2000-3000”, he added.
In the meantime standoff continued as PoK authorities kept 27 trucks detained that had gone with goods as part of LoC trade from Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre, Uri to Chakoti Trade Facilitation Centre, Muzaffarabad on Friday and 48 PoK trucks along with their drivers remained stranded at Salamabad as PoK authorities refused to take them back unless 49th truck and its driver is released.
Sources said that Director General trans-LoC Trade, Retired Brigadier Mohammad Ismael Khan of PoK has made it clear to the Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Khawaja Ghulam Ahmad, during a meeting at Aman Setu last evening that they will neither let off 27 trucks nor accept 48 PoK trucks unless 49th truck and its driver is released.
Sources said that Khawaja has made it clear to the PoK authorities that the driver is involved in narcotics trade and he has been arrested under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and can’t be released.
Both, Jammu and Kashmir Government and PoK Government have communicated the standoff arisen out the recovery of narcotics to the respective Central Governments’ and so far no direction has come from either of the two Governments.
This is the first time that the trucks were detained by Pakistan and it refused to take back its own trucks since barter trade of around two dozen listed items between India and Pakistan that operates for four days a week through Aman Setu LoC from Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre in Uri to Chakoti Trade Facilitation Centre, Muzaffarabad was started in October 2008 as part of Jammu and Kashmir specific Confidence Building Measure between India and Pakistan.
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