While some of the members of JKJCCI from both sides of divided Kashmir met in Bankgok (Thailand) to choose new president of the intra-Kashmir business body and held “brainstorming sessions”, various stakeholders from Jammu and Kashmir – including cross-LoC traders, FCIK, KTMF, FIJ – are aghast on being left out of the meeting “deliberately”.
In the three-day meeting held in Bangkok from January 25-27, Javed Ahmed Tenga was appointed as the president with Rakesh Gupta and Ghulam Murtaza as joint presidents of the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industries (JKJCCI).
However, several constituent members of JKJCCI, who alleged the organisers of “ignorning the main stakeholders of trade”, said “non-entities” have been put at the helm of affairs at JKJCCI.
President of Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation, Muhammad Yaseen Khan said “there are ulterior motives to invite the selected persons for the meetings abroad and even select the new executive heads without presence of more than half of the constituent members.” Khan said general and LoC traders, directly related to cross-LoC trade have been ignored and instead “arm-chair” businessmen have been nominated.
“The objective with which JKJCCI was formed has not fulfilled its purpose. At the time of initiation KTMF was a constituent member of JKJCCI but we have been completely sidelined and the agenda of cross-LoC trade has been hijacked,” said Khan. Khan said several cross LoC traders who are part of KTMF have been given a “cold shoulder” despite being the real stake-holders.
Expressing disappointment over JKJCCI’s “nomination of new executive heads”, Hilal Turkie, president, Salamabad Cross LoC Traders Union who was previously vice-president of JKJCCI said the Bangkok meeting has left traders such as him in complete dark.
“Till yesterday I was the elected vice-president of JKJCCI but today I am not sure whether I exist in this organization,” said Turike. “For some time now, we are witnessing that the meetings of the JKJCCI are being restricted to only two chambers (KCCI and JCCI) with few selected people but it is not going to do any justice to the LoC trade.”
“There is certainly something missing in these deliberations. Instead of involving just two chambers and few representatives of LoC trade there is a need to bring on-board all constituent members,” Turkie said.
Two more constituent members of JKJCCI, Federation of Industries Jammu and Federation Chambers of Industries Kashmir also expressed dismay over not being involved in intra-Kashmir trade meetings.
“We even communicated with the organisers and the executive body administrators for our interest in such meetings but to no avail. Such is the audacity that we did not even receive a response to our e-mails,” said Muhammad Ashraf Mir, president of Federation Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK).
Lalit Mahajan, co-chairman, Federation of Industries Jammu said he was part of all earlier meetings but now not being invited for the meeting is “no less than a shock for him”.
“JKJCCI was constituted after a meeting in Istanbul in 2011. A resolution was passed in a meeting at Kualalampur 2013 and 24 members were nominated from that side of Kashmir and 24 persons from this side of J&K. 12 persons including civil society were nominated and it was decided that active participation will be held. But the resolution is not being followed in letter and spirit,” Mahajan said. “This is sending out a message that it was just a pleasure trip as trade and industry representation is missing,” Mahajan said.
Another cross-LoC trader said that despite JKJCCI has been formed with “lot of fanfare and hopes” it has been “little successful” in promoting LoC trade. “The trade is dying a slow death, every other day one or other item is being excluded from the trade reducing it to 8-1o items out of initially allowed 21 items but these people do nothing about that,” the trader said, adding, holding meetings in foreign lands does not mean promotion of trade.
Meanwhile a statement issued by Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries here said the new leadership of the JKJCCI assumed office for the new term of 2018 as per the prevailing traditions of this forum. Javid Ahmad Tenga of KCCI took the position of president, with Rakesh Gupta of JCCI and Ghulam Murtaza of Mirpur Chamber as joint presidents.
According the statement the ex-presidents and presidents of the chambers apprised the participants at the meeting regarding “previous efforts made to promote the cross-LOC trade”. “The JK-JCCI reiterated their support on the ground to the LOC traders and to play their role in taking recommendations to respective governments for enhancing this confidence building measure. An MOU was also signed in this regard,” the statement said.
The statement said other attendees including women entrepreneurs from the “three regions proposed futuristic measures to boost trade and economic and cultural connectivity”. The main ideas discussed to promote the LOC trade were the inclusion of services in this context and advanced banking arrangements to facilitate a better and more effective trade process. “All the business leaders agreed to take these ideas forward by talking to the governments of India and Pakistan and building confidence in their respective communities as well as amongst the three Chambers of Commerce and Industries,” the statement added.
The meeting was organised by Conciliation Resources, a London-based international organisation working in conflict areas for promotion of peace.