India, Pakistan traders hold meeting to resolve issues, seek better connectivity

In view of the increased hostilities between India and Pakistan, traders from both sides of the Line of Control met in Bangkok and resolved to recommend their respective governments to take measures, like banking facility, for enhancing trade between the two nations.

The meeting was convened by Conciliation Resources from January 25-27, said a written statement issued by the secretary general of Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Manish Gupta. It was attended by representatives of Chamber of Commerce and Industry on both sides of the LoC.

The cross-LoC trade between the people of J&K and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir started with the barter system in 2008. For resolution of any problem and better coordination between them, the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (J&K-JCCI) was formed in 2013-14.

“Important issues concerning each region were discussed by the representatives and the key focus was on improvement of connectivity across the regions,” the statement said. Representatives of trade and industry bodies from both sides of the LoC also signed an MoU for the purpose. Women entrepreneurs from both sides also attended the meeting.

They proposed futuristic measures to boost economic and cultural connectivity by including services and advanced banking arrangements to facilitate a better and more effective trade process. All the business leaders agreed to take the ideas forward by speaking to the governments of India and Pakistan and building confidence in their respective communities as well as amongst the three Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The meeting was chaired by Javed Tenga, president of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Rakesh Gupta, chief of Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Ghulam Murtaza of Cross LoC trade are the joint presidents. The last meeting of the joint chamber was held in Hong Kong in 2017.

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