After pilgrim tourism, let border tourism be developed - Early Times Newspaper Jammu Kashmir

news details

After pilgrim tourism, let border tourism be developed

12/21/2015 9:54:57 PM

Well Chief Minister,Mufi Mohd.Sayeed, is right when he has favoured promotion of border tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. In this connection he has suggested development of Suchetgarh border belt like that of the Wagah border in Punjab. Wagah border is 27 kms from Amritsar and is 26 kms from Lahore. Against this Suchetgarh is 27 Kms from Jammu and the distance between Sialkot (Pakistan) to Suchetgarh is 16 Kms. Hence the border belt at Suchetgarh could improve tourist flow between the two sides provided if the travel is made a hassle free affair. Chief Minister Mufti Mohd. Sayeed is keen not onlyto promote travel or people to people contact between Jammu and Kashmir and Occupied Kashmir, he is equally eager to increase the flow of trade between the two sides. In fact the credit for opening of two routes for travel and trade goes to Mufti Sayeed who had included it in the party's poll manifesto during the 2002 Assembly election. This issue is said to have helped a new born political party to bag 17 seats in 2002 poll allowing it to form a coalition Government with Congress in Jammu and Kashmir. Once again Mufti Sayeed has made a a significant announcement, when he pitched for developing Suchetgarh on the pattern of Wagah, saying that it can act as a meeting point for people living on both sides of international border between India and Pakistan. "I will vigorously pursue with the Centre the issue of projecting Suchetgarh as a people-to-people meeting point across the International Border," he has said. During the tour, he inspected various ongoing works for creation of tourism and sports infrastructure, besides visiting several technical education institutes in the winter capital. He also announced slew of measures to promote Suchetgarh as a border tourist destination, on pattern of Wagah, in Amritsar. "With improvement in overall situation, we can also explore the option of promoting Suchetgarh as a trading point with the neighbouring country," he stated. Describing Suchetgarh as ideally located for border tourism, Mufti Sayeed said he will approach the Ministry of Home Affairs to explore the possibility of bringing Suchetgarh within the ambit of cross-border trade and travel, which, he said is a huge confidence building measure between India and Pakistan. The government will work to create additional facilities to increase footfall of tourists to Suchetgarh, he said, adding, "It will be ultimate if we are able to achieve a breakthrough (with Pakistan) in opening up Suchetgarh as an industrial trading point with Sialkot, across the border". Following the rise of Pakistan sponsored insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir 25 years ago the state has been witnessing very low flow of tourists, excursionists and holidayers. These holidayers prefer other hill stations where they can enjoy the beauty of nature without getting disturbed by bomb and grenade explosions. What seems to have sustained the state's economy is the increased flow of pilgrims, pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and Amarnath cave. Well since the state Government and the centre took hardlyany measure for developing new tourist resorts excursionists have nothing new to enjoy. Another development that has sustained the economy of the state is the slight increase in the trade transactions between the two Kashmirs, one from Uri-Muzaffarabad side and the other from Poonch Rawlakot belt. And if the Suchetgarh border is developed on the pattern of Wagah for trade and travel it has better scope for promoting people to people contact and for increasing trade transactions because it is quite close to the state's winter capital, Jammu. Let there be no reservation on the part of Union Home Ministry because reopening of Uri-Muzaffarabad route and Rawalakot-Poonch route had posed no serious security problem in Jammu and Kashmir. Let another experiment be conducted to reduce trust deficit and to promote confidence between India and Pakistan.

Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network

Comment on this Story

Like our Facebook Page