| LoC trade, bus creates employment avenues | | |
S.Tahir-Ul Haq
Early Times Report
BARAMULLA, Feb 27: With the starting of bus service between Uri and Muzaffarabad in April 2005 and simultaneously in October 2008 cross-LoC trade was started from two routes Muzaffarabad-Uri and Poonch-Rawlakote.
Cross LoC trade has not only united the divided families of both the sides of Jammu and Kashmir but also created employment opportunities to the local populace of Salamabad Uri.
A local resident of Salamabad Uri Nisar Ahmad spoke to early times about the cross LoC trade and said that, "trade has benefited us as we got an opportunity to work here as Labourers (coolie) and is earning bread and butter for our family.
Nisar says that, "to dream of government jobs is far beyond our imagination as there is high competition now, and it has become very difficult for people like us, who have only studied up to 6th standard.
The trade began with two days, Tuesday and Wednesday every week since it started in 2008, which has now been extended to four days from Monday to Friday from July 2011, said Nisar.
45 years old Fayaz Ahmad, a local resident of Salamanbad told early times that the population is mostly Pahari with Gujjars and are living mostly in the mountains surrounding the town. "Opening the two trade points received encouragement in Jammu and Kashmir when in April 2005 the bus service across the divided Kashmir took off successfully. It has facilitated the union of separated families, I consider it as a breakthrough which has been achieved by both the countries after many decades, local inhabitant added. Residents of Uri, especially of Salamabad, Bagna Salamabad, Kalagiee, were mainly engaged in running wayside restaurants and cafes, which are helping them in earning of their livelihoods, as most of the traders from Kashmir side visits on these cafes for lunch and dinner, said Fayaz.
The town itself is a tehsil headquarters of Baramulla District with all required infrastructure like High School, hospital and a small market with approximately 200-300 shops on the banks of river Jhelum
Meanwhile early times spoke to some traders from this side of LoC, who told that we don't have words to express how this trade has removed barriers, restrictions and other factors, which contribute to the separation of border communities.
Predominantly, borders are seen as barriers that hinder the integration and potential flows between the two sides and cause additional costs for cross-border interaction by increasing the relative psychological distances between them, they said.
There are always ups and down in every part of the state, so the same case was here in Jammu and Kashmir with related to trade, day by day more traders are joining here which is sign of mutual cooperation between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan.
Interestingly the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) II is also located on the opposite side of TFC in Salamabad village of Uri Town here in Baramulla district of north Kashmir. |
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