Though both PDP and BJP running the affairs of the Jammu & Kashmir government take pride in praising the central government over the appointment of a new interlocutor for dialogue with stakeholders in the state, but neither PDP nor BJP shows concern over the suspension of cross LoC trade for last several weeks. Though the cross LoC trade has already caused a huge loss of more than 81 crores to traders in Jammu & Kashmir, but neither the trading bodies are taking the issue serious enough to agitate the suspension of cross LoC trade before the government nor the government on its own takes any initiative to take up the issue with the central government. Keeping in view the sensitivities of the current political and economic scenario in Jammu & Kashmir the central government should have taken appropriate steps for the resumption of cross LoC trade in the state. Knowing that cross LoC trade is not just an economic activity but has a direct bearing on the peace and stability in Jammu & Kashmir the Modi government should not have allowed the suspension of cross LoC trade to continue for weeks together. In presence of the suspension of cross LoC trade the newly appointed interlocutor won’t find it easy to have many takers for the offer of dialogue even from the mainstream parties. Though Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has been claiming credit for the opening cross LoC bus and trafe routes between the divided parts of Jammu & Kashmir started by the erstwhile Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led PDP-Congress coalition government in the year 2005 but Mehbooba’s casual approach on the suspension of the cross LoC trade is an insult to the dialogue process over which both PDP and BJP are beating drums after the appointment of a new interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma. Forget about the political engagement in Jammu & Kashmir unlikely to prove fruitful in view of the pre-conditions of the newly appointed interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma, the issue not demanding any political engagement and a fresh agreement between India and Pakistan is the resumption of cross LoC trade between the divided parts of Jammu & Kashmir.
Better for the government to take appropriate measures much before the aggrieved people greet the new interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma with noises against the suspension of the cross LoC trade on his maiden trip to Srinagar for the purposes of political engagement.
As the new interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma is about to start the process of political engagement better for the government to take appropriate measures much before the aggrieved people greet the new interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma with noises against the suspension of the cross LoC trade on his maiden trip to Srinagar for the purposes of political engagement.
