'Steps underway to ease curbs on cross LoC trade'

Various steps have been taken to ease the restrictions on cross LoC-trade with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), the Jammu and Kashmir government told the state legislative council.

Various steps have been taken to ease the restrictions on cross LoC-trade with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), the Jammu and Kashmir government told the state legislative council on Thursday.

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Expansion of the list of traded items would be explored in consultation with the chambers of commerce and industries of Srinagar and Jammu, the Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Industries and Commerce S S Slathia said in reply to a question by Murtaza Ahmed Khan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The expanded list will then be send to the Union ministry of commerce for approval, which will take it up with the Government of Pakistan for finalisation.

Slathia said that the initiative of cross LoC trade had been taken by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and carried forward by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to restore confidence among the people seeking to open trade routes with POK.

He said that besides upgrading of roads, the provision of banking and communication facilities for the traders of both sides have been taken up with the Government of India and whenever the clearance comes from the centre, the present barter system can be changed into full fledged currency-based trade.