Srinagar: Prof. Saifuddin Soz, Former Union Minister toady in a statement issued here said that Govt. of India’s reasons for stopping Cross LoC Trade between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad highly untenable and indefensible.
He said, “PM Modi wants to promote propaganda for Election 2019 and tries to bring in Pakistan, Kashmir and whatever suits his imagination.
Since everything is happening at the behest of PMO, stopping the LoC trade between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad all of a sudden, is seen by the trading communities on both sides, as part of a trickery aimed at the Election-2019.
He (PM Modi) thinks this will provide grist to his propaganda mill, Soz said.
Soz added, I checked up the reasons given by Central Govt. such as smuggling weapons, narcotics, fake currency and others things for stopping the cross LoC trade with organizations that have firsthand knowledge on what is what on the cross LoC trade.
He also said, I talked to responsible functionaries of the trade associations such as ‘Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation’ and ‘Salamabad Cross LoC Traders Union’ and others, who categorically denied any kind of malpractices indulged in by traders. They raised the question why malpractices (if any) were not noticed earlier and action taken. They said, in one voice, that whenever a malpractice was noticed, the wrong doers were punished, under the law. They confirmed my fear that the alarm had been raised by the Modi dispensation only keeping its eyes on Election 2019. These trade associations described Govt. of India’s action as an uncalled for disruption bringing misery to the trading communities on both sides of LoC.
Needless to mention it here that Pakistan has already deplored this unilateral action by Govt. of India.”
