Muzaffarabad: (Parliament Times) The president of Pakistan Peoples Party (AJK chapter) Ch. Latif Akbar has said that cross LoC trade CBM was initiated during the former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari’s tenure with the sole objective to bring divided Kashmiris close to each other but this historic initiative has been rendered meaningless as the incumbent regime was creating hurdles in smooth conduct of trade.
“Instead of facilitating the traders conspiracies are being hatched to close down the cross LoC trade”, Akbar said this while talking to members of cross-LoC trader’s community who have staged a sit-in protest in Muzaffarabad against the Islamabad custom department officials’ unlawful crackdown on trucks transporting goods imported from IoK via different crossing points across the LoC.
The PPP president while expressing solidarity with traders said that his party won’t allow any such conspiracy to succeed. Terming cross LoC traders’ demands as genuine and justified he said that Pakistani custom officials must desist from turning Kohalla and Azad Pattan into international border. He said that the trucks carrying goods imported from other side of the line of control should be given an unhindered access to Pakistani markets.
Urging the prime minister of Azad Kashmir to raise the issue with federal government Akbar said that the PPP would also raise voice against this urgent matter in National Assembly as well as in the Senate.
Meanwhile, Director Travel and Trade Authority Brigadier Tahir Hameed Malik and other officials of the authority also visited the protest camp in Muzaffarabad. Speaking on the occasion they assured the traders that all out efforts would be made to address the problems confronted by the business community. The traders on the occasion said that the protest would continue until cross loc traders were provided unhindered access to Pakistani markets.
