M A I N   N E W S

LoC trade to resume tomorrow
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 18
India and Pakistan today decided to resume the stalled cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route from Thursday.

Officers of the two sides today met at Zero Point in Uri sector, 125 km from Srinagar, and resolved the impasse.

The two sides were represented by Trade Facilitation Officer for Chakothi in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Basharat Iqbal and Custodian of cross-LoC trade at Salamabad Showkat Ahmad Rather.

“This week, cross-LoC trade on the Salamabad-Chakothi axis will take place on Thursday and Friday. From next week, cross-LoC barter trade will take place for four days a week, from Tuesday to Friday, as was the routine before the standoff,” said Baramulla District Development Commissioner Dr Farooq Ahmad Lone.

Trade between the two parts of Kashmir has been stalled since January 17 after brown sugar worth Rs 114 crore was recovered from a truck coming from PoK. The J&K Police booked PoK driver Mohammad Shafiq Awan under Section 8/21 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Besides the driver, two Kashmiri traders were also arrested.

After the recovery of brown sugar, the J&K authorities allowed the remaining 48 truckers to return to Muzzaffarabad. The truckers were refused entry by Pakistani authorities, as they demanded the release of the arrested driver.