Cross-LoC Trade Routes Suffers Amid India-Pakistan Border Tensions

The cross-LoC trade routes got affected due to rising India-Pakistan conflict. The cross-LoC trade was suspended in Kashmir when Pakistan jets intruded across Line of Control and heavy shelling was reported.

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Despite Indian Air Force strikes in Pakistan, the trade continued in Jammu but was suspended in Kashmir, when Pakistan jets intruded across Line of Control. Hilal Turkey, President Cross-LoC Traders Union of Kashmir informed media saying,” the trade was suspended instantaneously after shelling was reported in many areas”.

“There was an exchange of fire between forces of both the countries in areas including Kamalkote and other places, which fall on way to Muzzafarbad. So we decided to halt it temporarily till the situation gets back to normal,” the President Cross -LoC Traders Union of Kashmir added.

Despite, Pakistani troops carrying out shelling at various places along the LoC in Jammu, the trade along Chakan-da-Bagh has continued and at least 45 trucks loaded with tradable items were traded.

The president of Traders union is hopeful that the trade will resume after shelling along the route stops. “We are ready and hopeful to resume our trade by tomorrow. In case the situation along the route remains tense then traders will have to wait till peace returns. We have already started lining up trucks loaded with goods at the Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre,” Turkey said.

In 2008, the cross-LoC trade started via Salamabad in Uri and Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch and has been marked as an important confidence-building measure (CBM). The cross-LoC trade is scheduled for four days a week, from Tuesday to Friday, while the travel is scheduled once a week. Kashmir’s business community wish to use these routes for transit trade as well as an alternative to the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

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