30.1.13

India - Pakistan resume trade on LoC



Trade between India and Pakistan resumed over the de facto border in Kashmir yesterday after a 20-day halt sparked by deadly army clashes, with traders grumbling about their losses.
Six Pakistani trucks crossed into Indian-administered Kashmir, an official said, ending the halt in trade sparked by the killing of five soldiers earlier this month.
The convoy, carrying onions, dates and dried fruits, crossed the Line of Control (LoC) that divides the two parts of the disputed Himalayan territory, shortly before midday.
A similar number also crossed over from Poonch on the Indian side of the LoC to Rawalakot on the Pakistan side; with dozens more trucks waiting to make the same journey.
Cross-border trade has been encouraged in recent years as a means of improving relations between the nuclear-armed rivals, who have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir.
Kishan Singh, an Indian member of a joint chamber of commerce formed by traders on both sides of the LoC, welcomed the resumption but said it was not enough to dispel the uncertainty.

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