Only 12 trucks leave for PoK, traders cry foul

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 28

The Indian trade authorities today allowed only 12 Indian trucks from the Chakan-da-Bagh trade centre in Poonch district to Tetrinote in PoK.

This is in sharp contrast to 301 Indian traders authorised to conduct trade. The trucks of 12 Indian traders who were allowed to go to PoK today are included in the list given by the PoK trade authorities.

The PoK trade authorities on April 3 had issued orders that only 70 Indian traders would be allowed entry. This notice was put up today at the entrance of the Chakan-da-Bagh trade centre, leading to anger among Indian traders.

“Ashraf Choudhary, Custodian of the trade centre, put up xerox copies of the PoK letter at the entrance and today allowed only 12 trucks to the other side,” said Pawan Anand, president of the Chakan-da-Bagh LoC Traders’ Association.

“These 12 traders fall in the controversial list. There has been no action by the Poonch Deputy Commissioner in this regard,” he rued.

He alleged that the Custodian of the trade centre had hobnobbed with his PoK counterpart and conceded to PoK’s unilateral terms and conditions in bilateral trade between the two countries.

“It is a hopeless situation and we request the Union Home Ministry to intervene immediately to save this confidence-building measure,” he added.

“If the trade had to be conducted according to the whims and fancies of the PoK authorities, why have the Poonch Deputy Commissioner and the Custodian of the trade centre approved and put 301 Indian traders on the list,” he asked.

Mohammed Amin Magray, a Poonch-based LoC trader, said the traders strongly condemned the PoK trade authorities’ controversial letter.

“We have been carrying on trade since inception in 2008. All of a sudden, the PoK trade authorities want only 49 traders from their side to do business with 70 Indian traders. The trade centre custodian has connived with his PoK counterpart to sabotage cross-border trade,” he said.

Traders’ association general secretary Krishan Singh criticised the trade centre Custodian, who was here on deputation, for his “anti-India” role.

Custodian Ashraf Choudhary outrighly rejected the allegations. “Only 12 trucks were brought to us. There is no restriction on any of the 301 approved traders,” he said.

“As far as the controversial letter put up at the entrance is concerned, I have not signed it,” he said. He claimed that some traders had done it.

On a joint meeting between traders from PoK and Jammu and Kashmir at the Zero Line, the Custodian said he met his counterpart at the Zero Line on April 24 and it was decided that a meeting of traders would be held on April 29.

“They informed us yesterday that the meeting could not be held tomorrow and could be rescheduled for the first or second week of May,” he said.