Attari porters end stir, onions arrive from Afghanistan

Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service 
Amritsar, December 7

Following talks between representatives of porters and traders and the intervention of the Central Warehousing Corporation, porters at the Attari Integrated Check Post (ICP) today called off their strike. Subsequently, import and export from Afghanistan, which had come to a standstill, was resumed today, clearing the way for about 15 trucks carrying onion and dry fruit from Afghanistan. Leaders of porters’ union Gursahib Singh and Buta Singh said the Warehousing corporation had engaged a company to pay them wages. 

They accused company officials of releasing wages for loading and unloading trucks to select contractors, who exploited porters.

Already, trade between India and Pakistan via the ICP has come to naught post Pulwama.Import from Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post has come down from 200 trucks to 10-15 trucks daily, rendering thousands of labourers jobless.