Indo-Pak Joint Working Group on LoC trade to meet tomorrow

E-Paper | July 23, 2026

ISLAMABAD: A meeting of Pakistan-India Joint Working Group on Cross-LoC Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) will be held in New Delhi on March 4 to streamline trade across the Line of Control.

Pakistan's delegation will be headed by Riffat Masood, the director general (South Asia) ministry of foreign affairs, while the Indian side will be led by Rudrendra Tandon, the joint secretary ministry of external affairs.

Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and Indian High Commissioner Dr T.C.A. Raghavan in a meeting held on January 25, decided to hold the meeting of the Joint Working Group.

The meeting would discuss ways and means to further streamline and improve the modalities regarding trade across the LoC.

Following the alleged discovery of some narcotics in one of the trucks from Pakistani side on January 15, trade and travel across the LoC had been suspended. Subsequently, this was resumed.

Since the working group is meeting after a gap of one and half years, as the last meeting was held in July 2012 in Islamabad, it will also review the current status of the CBMs that are in place and give its recommendations.

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Isa, Carrums downs, Austalia

Mar 04, 2014 02:42am

We don't need to trade with India. We got the superpower China on our side.

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Purushottam

Mar 04, 2014 08:09am

@Isa, Carrums downs, Austalia: I fully agree with you. Let all this non-sense of trade talks should stop. These talks will not go anywhere. India should clearly tell Pakistan, "Thank you, but we do not want the MFN status from you, therefore kindly stop making any new proposals about granting MFN to India". Pakistan trade-wise is too small & too insignificant a country for India. Moreover, Pakistan has too many internal interest groups which will NEVER allow their Government to implement any trade-deal with India. On the other hand, India should speedily go ahead with the proposed Free Trade Agreements with other SAARC countries and let those Indian neighbours take advantage of India-based second largest middle-income population in the world (larger than the population of USA) as a market for their goods & services, allowing them to share prosperity & progress. India, enough is enough. Will you kindly stop all this non-sense of trade-talks with Pakistan? Let us not waste our time in talking with Pakistan.

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Arun

Mar 04, 2014 10:58am

Why do these guys keep meeting and waste the taxpayers money on both sides? The risks of LoC trade - the risk of allowing weapons and drugs into India - are too high for any goodwill it brings. And the reservoir of "bad will" is replenished daily by Pakistani media, Pakistani politicians and Pakistani terrorist leaders who function openly. No amount of goodwill will succeed when "bad will" flows freely and abundantly. That is sad, but it is the honest truth. Lets stop pretending and wasting taxpayers money on these silly meetings.

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