Amid buzz in Pak over resumption of trade with India, local bizmen upbeat

Tribune News Service

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, March 30

Back to back “positive” statements by Pakistan to resume bilateral trade with India have infused a fresh lease of life among the importers, exporters and porters who have been earning their living through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari. They want that the resumption of trade with Pakistan, especially through the ICP, becomes a poll issue in the General Election.

5,000 rendered jobless

Over 5,000 residents from villages around the ICP were rendered unemployed after trade between India and Pakistan was halted five years ago. It is high time that the governments of both countries resolve their differences and work unitedly towards providing employment to their peoples. Gurbaksh Singh, Porter

From Rs 3K crore, exports down to zero

While the net export through the ICP stood at Rs 3,052.14 crore in 2012-13, it fell down to Rs 737.65 crore in 2018-19 and has been zero since 2020-21 when the countries snapped trade ties

Five days after Pakistan Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar announced a “serious intent” to reopen trade with India, the Pakistan Foreign Office stated that a proposal favouring the restoration of bilateral trade ties was lying with the Pakistan Government. Earlier, over a week ago, the SAD had, in its core-committee meeting, stressed for resuming stalled trade with Pakistan through the ICP at Attari.

Gurbaksh Singh, a porter, said over 5,000 residents from villages around the ICP had been rendered unemployed after trade between India and Pakistan was halted five years ago. He felt that it was high time that the governments of both countries resolved their differences and worked unitedly towards providing employment to their peoples.

He said cross-border trade could revive the sagging farming and industry sectors in both east and west Punjab. He added that jobless porters were compelled to move to far-away locations to eke out a living for their families. A section of them were earning their living by getting whatever little work was being offered through trade with Afghanistan. Gurbaksh asked politicians to be their voice in the Parliament on the issue.

Pardeep Sharma, general manager of the SSB Group, said snapping of trade between the two neighbours had forced his company to divert capital, men and machinery to other businesses like hospitality. He added that the resumption of trade between India and Pakistan would be immensely beneficial to residents and governments of both countries.

For example, prices of several commodities like cement, glass and other items would come down here. A similar phenomenon would be visible in the neighbouring country, which is battling high inflation with spiralling prices of essential commodities. He added that cross-border trade used to provide employment to hundreds of city youth in the companies engaged in import and export, besides offering jobs to transporters.

Import of merchandise from Afghanistan is the only saving grace now, which provides business to only those who deal with fresh and dry fruits, besides spices. Before the Indian government raised the Customs duty on import of goods from Pakistan by 200 per cent following the Pulwama attack on the CRPF on February 14, 2019, about 200 trucks used to daily cross over here from Pakistan.

Exactly six months later in August, the Pakistan Government then led by Prime Minister Imran Khan suspended trade ties with India to express their anguish at the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. It considerably brought down the daily wage earning opportunity for porters.

Inaugurated on April 13, 2012, the ICP used to export goods only to Pakistan, while it imported merchandise from both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Now, it is only importing through Afghanistan as Pakistan provides a transit facility.

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