MUZAFFARABAD: A joint meeting of the intra-Kashmir traders from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) is scheduled for Thursday (January 15) at the Chakothi-Uri crossing point, sources said.

The traders would discuss various issues relating to the barter trade with zero tariff regime, including the hurdles being faced by them on either sides of the divide, the sources told Dawn.

The officials concerned from both parts of the disputed Himalayan region would also attend the meeting, which will be the fourth of its kind over the last six years.

According to the sources, some two weeks ago, traders in Indian held Kashmir (IHK) had made a request to their authorities that they wanted to hold a meeting with their fellow businesspersons from AJK.

The request was conveyed by the IHK authorities to their AJK counterparts at a flag meeting and after a positive nod from here January 15 was fixed for the joint meeting. An official said 10 traders from IHK and five from AJK would participate in the joint meeting, to be held in the middle of Kaman Bridge over a water channel that marks the divide in Chakothi-Uri sector.

Jammu Kashmir Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industries (JKJCCI) has appreciated the decision to allow the traders from both sides to discuss their mutual problems and come up with suggestions for their possible solutions.

“We welcome the positive attitude of the authorities on both sides… In a situation

Published in Dawn January 12th , 2014

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