Declare Kashmir a free trade zone: JK-JCCI

Traders’ community assures full support to newly elected chamber prez

NISAR AHMED THOKAR

Islamabad, Feb 13:  Felicitating Dr Mubeen Shah on assuming his charge as president J&K Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zulfiqar Abbasi, chamber’s former president on behalf of traders’ community assured full support to Shah to ensure smooth and free-flow of trade across the line of control.
 Addressing a press conference in lake view city of Mirpore on Monday, Abbasi said the business community would lend its all out support to the newly elected president for the restoration and enhancement of trade, besides backing the efforts being made to ensure peace in the region.
 Flanked by representatives of the business community, the founder president of JK-JCCI expressed his gratitude to the traders on both sides of the line of control and the Conciliation Resources UK for their “valuable contribution in making the JCCI a viable institution.”
 It is pertinent to note here that the CR, a London based NGO had recently arranged a meeting of the traders in Turkey wherein the cross LoC traders who attended the three day moot unanimously agreed to strengthen the JCCI to enhance trade links and co-operation across the divide.
 The JCCI established in 2008 is the only trade-association that represents business community hailing from both sides of the line of control.
 In a telephonic speech, Dr Mubeen Shah, demanded that the government of India and Pakistan should declare Kashmir a “free trade” zone. He also appealed the government of Pakistan to allow Kashmiri traders to use Pakistani land route as trade corridor to export their goods to Middle East states.
 He urged the governments of both the countries to remove the barriers and hurdles in the way of free movement of people especially the traders across the line of control in order to make Jammu and Kashmir an economic free zone.