Jammu, Apr 7: Lauding cross-LoC trade as major Confidence Building Measure between India and Pakistan, Minister for Finance, A R Rather today urged the External Affairs Ministries of both the countries to broad-base the trade and remove all impediments to make it a hassle free and mutually beneficial economic activity.
 The FM said the cross-LoC trade involves cultural and emotional attachments of the people, living on either side of the divide. “Not only trade but also trans-LoC travel restrictions need to be relaxed to reunite divided families of the 1947 partition”, Rather said, while speaking at a function organized to release the first of its kind survey report on cross-LoC trade, an official statement said.
 The report, according to the statement, is based on the opinion poll and experiences of the traders engaged in the trade.
 The event coincides with the 7th anniversary of opening of LoC for travel between Srinagar and Muzzfarabad, which was later opened to trade on October 21, 2008. The survey report has been formulated by the Indus Research Foundation (IRF), in association with the Centre for Peace, Development and Reforms based at Mirpur, PaK and supported by Conciliation Resources, a London based Peace-building organization.
 Rather said: “People across Indo-Pak borders are geographically and culturally akin to each other.”
 “The time has proved that 6-long decades of manmade partition couldn’t diminish their emotional and cultural attachments,” he added.
 He said given the significant developments on global liberalization, time is ripe, for the rulers of both sides, to ponder on the yearning among the people of two sides for peace and coherence and remove all the restrictions in the way of free movement and free trade across the divide.
 “Establishment of trade links and movement of goods across LoC is a significant CBM in the post-partition”, Rather said.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 8 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST