Ishfaq Tantry
SRINAGAR: Even as the whole Kashmir valley is under curfew and commercial activities have been halted completely since Monday, the cross-LoC trade activity through the Kaman post in Uri in north Kashmir went on smoothly this week.
As many as 368 trucks carrying goods crossed sides at the Line of Control in the Uri sector through the Kaman post this week. Normal life, including business and commercial activities across the Kashmir valley had come to a grinding halt since Monday last, due to shutdowns and curfew restrictions imposed by the government.
However, these protests and the restrictions have failed to dampen the intra-Kashmir confidence-building measures (CBMs), particularly the cross-LoC trade through the Kaman post in the Uri sector.
“Today we received 57 trucks laden with fresh fruits, carpets and dry fruits, including dates, at the Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre in Uri after crossing the LoC at the Kaman post. From our side, we dispatched 36 trucks carrying fruits, embroidery items and herbals,” said Nazir Ahmad Baba, custodian of the LoC trade.
The cross-LoC trade, one of the major confidence-building measures (CBMs) in Kashmir, takes place four days in a week from Tuesday to Friday. A total of 204 trucks laden with goods from the Pakistan-administered Kashmir were received at the Salamabad Trade Centre during this week, said Baba, adding that 162 trucks with goods from this side also crossed over to the PaK during the week.
Baba added that the protests and restrictions had had no major impact on the trade activity as far as trade volume is concerned. “I will term the trade activity during this week as satisfactory with no significant drop in the trade volume. But we had to devise some strategies for ensuring safe and hassle-free trade during this period,” Baba said.
He added that the trucks carrying goods from different places of Kashmir for trade through the LoC had to ply during the night to avoid protesters along the way and security forces imposing restrictions. This strategy helped the traders to transport their goods at the Salamabad Trade Centre safely, for which the whole staff and the people connected with this trade deserve appreciation, he said.
(TNS)
