LoC trade to resume after stricter systems

A day after India suspended all cross-LoC trades with Pakistan, citing regular incidents of smuggling of third party goods, terror funds, drugs, arms and fake currency notes, the Centre stated on Friday that they will revisit the issue of resuming the trade putting stricter measures and systems in place. 

“New measures are expected to restore the benefit of LoC trade to local population only, rather than allowing terrorist organisations and unscrupulous traders based far away from these trading points to siphon off the benefits and fuel instability in the valley,”said a source in the Central government.

The centre stated that LoC trade across Chakan-Da-Bagh and Salamabad was intended as a confidence-building measure for the people living in remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir and living across LoC in Pakistan occupied Kahmir.. However, third parties manipulated the trade and misused it for trading goods being produced from outside the valley. 

Sources also stated that while charge sheeting businessman Zahoo Ahmed Watali, who was the president of LoC traders association, it was found that he was involved in funneling money to terrorists, separatists and subversive elements in the valley. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has already attached his property worth crores and further investigations are still on in terror funding case. 

HELL HOLE

National Investigation Agency (NIA) also decoded the modus operandi of the dubious hawala transactions for terror financing