2 Aug 2011
JAMMU: Trade between people living on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC in disputed Kashmir) is in for another trouble as the Indian government has decided to ban sale of goods of Indian origin by traders in Indian Held Jammu and Kashmir to their counterparts in Pakistan Administered Kashmir.
Official sources on Monday told The Indian Express that new directive has come from Customs Department following a meeting of inter ministerial committees convened recently by Indian Home Ministry. The meeting, which was also attended by officers from the state government, reportedly took note of sale of goods of Indian origin to Pakistan Administered Kashmir through LoC trade facilitation centers instead of those grown or manufactured locally by people in the state.
A letter from Customs Department banning sale of goods of Indian origin by traders on the Indian side of LoC has been received by officials concerned at both Chakkan Da Bagh on Poonch-Rawalakot Road and Salamabad on Uri-Muzaffrabad Road.
Referring to the evasion of customs duty and other taxes on account of sale of goods of Indian origin to Pakistan Administered Kashmir through LoC, the letter pointed out that the border trade was allowed between people living on both sides of LoC as part of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) initiated by the two neighbouring countries. As goods grown or manufactured locally by people on both sides of the LoC had to be traded between them on barter system, the trade was exempted from the purview of customs and other taxes, sources pointed out. Traders from elsewhere in the country, however, appeared to cross LoC to trade goods of Indian and Pakistani origin so as to evade taxes which are otherwise levied in the event of trade with the neighbouring country, they added.
(www.thenews.com.pk)
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