Jammu, Oct 14: President, AJK Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zulfiqar Abbasi Wednesday alleged that there were lobbies, both inside and outside the government, trying to damage the trade ties between the two parts of the divided state, although the trade initiated last year has done a business of more than Rs 20.60 crore.
 He was commenting on the issue of Hawala racket which, a few days ago, the J&K police claimed to have busted and arrested some traders.
 Talking to Greater Kashmir on the sidelines of a function held at the office of the Chambers of Commerce and Industries Jammu, Abbasi said, “It is condemnable if any of the member trader community is involved in such an activity and I personally feel that such persons are the enemy of both the countries and Jammu and Kashmir”.
  “But we doubt the investigations of the police as there are lobbies within and outside the government which are hell-bent to sabotage the ongoing trade between the two sides,” Abbasi said. He said that the ‘alleged’ Hawala transaction could be a handiwork of such lobbies with vested interest.
 President AJK Chamber said that they are not totally denying it but the main reason for these ‘things’ is the non-seriousness of the governments of both the countries in providing proper environment to the trading community for the hassle free trade. He said that though the government from both the sides agreed to initiate the cross LoC trade between the two sides, but both the countries failed to show their seriousness in continuation of the trade.
 “Since the initiation of cross LoC trade a year ago, the trade is based on the “barter system” in which goods are exchanged and in absence of banking system no currency is involved in such type of trade in such a system how one can expect the progress in the trade and no foul play by those who never want that the relations between the two countries and that of the divided state can ever improve,” he said.
 Abbasi said that the government of both the sides can take certain measures to increase the trade to show its seriousness. He said that the government should ease restrictions in issuing travel permits and should provide the traders with multiple entry passes that could be used multiple times to enter into each other’s territory.
 “It was decided to hold review meeting between two governments in three months and an annual review meeting to increase the number of tradable items, but unfortunately no such meeting has taken place,” Abbasi said adding, “The traders should be allowed to meet for the improvement trade”.
 Earlier Acting President Chamber of Commerce and Industries Jammu Om Prakesh Gupta said that the traders time and again highlighted the issues related to the cross LoC trade but the government failed to address.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 IST