Pulwama attack: Revoking MFN status insufficient step

  • | Saturday | 16th February, 2019

“Revoking MFN status is too little a step,” he added.“National interest is bigger than business interest. AMRITSAR: The business community here has welcomed the revoking of the ‘most favoured nation’ (MFN) status given to Pakistan, but at the same time they have demanded that the cross-border barter trade being carried out from Jammu and Kashmir should be stopped immediately.“The barter trade routes operating between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) should immediately be stopped, as they are a threat to the nation. Barter trade is also the biggest source of funding to terrorists which has been acknowledged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA),” said Suneet Kochhar, chairman of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM), Punjab chapter.While talking to TOI on Friday, he said that trading with Pakistan was possible if there were cordial relations between the two countries, but it was not so. “In the current situation, snapping business ties with Pakistan will not hurt India’s interest,” he said.Echoing him, Anil Mehra, president of Federation of Karyana and Dry Fruit Commercial Association, said that not only the barter trade from Jammu and Kashmri should be stopped, but even trade with Pakistan from integrated check post (ICP) at Attari should be banned unless Pakistan assures to “tame the militants operating from its soil”. We can’t do business with Pakistan at the cost of our jawans,” said Mehra, who too has business interest across the border.The Centre had allowed trading of specific items of Kashmiri origin under the barter system in Jammu and Kashmir but, according to sources, almost everything was being traded from across LoC, using fake certificates of origins of goods.President of Indo-Foreign Chamber of Commerce B K Bajaj said, “It is an insufficient step against Pakistan.” He said that traders would keep their markets closed on Saturday to protest against Pulwama terrorist attack.

AMRITSAR: The business community here has welcomed the revoking of the ‘most favoured nation’ (MFN) status given to Pakistan, but at the same time they have demanded that the cross-border barter trade being carried out from Jammu and Kashmir should be stopped immediately.“The barter trade routes operating between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) should immediately be stopped, as they are a threat to the nation. Barter trade is also the biggest source of funding to terrorists which has been acknowledged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA),” said Suneet Kochhar, chairman of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM), Punjab chapter.While talking to TOI on Friday, he said that trading with Pakistan was possible if there were cordial relations between the two countries, but it was not so. “In the current situation, snapping business ties with Pakistan will not hurt India’s interest,” he said.Echoing him, Anil Mehra, president of Federation of Karyana and Dry Fruit Commercial Association, said that not only the barter trade from Jammu and Kashmri should be stopped, but even trade with Pakistan from integrated check post (ICP) at Attari should be banned unless Pakistan assures to “tame the militants operating from its soil”. “Revoking MFN status is too little a step,” he added.“National interest is bigger than business interest. We can’t do business with Pakistan at the cost of our jawans,” said Mehra, who too has business interest across the border.The Centre had allowed trading of specific items of Kashmiri origin under the barter system in Jammu and Kashmir but, according to sources, almost everything was being traded from across LoC, using fake certificates of origins of goods.President of Indo-Foreign Chamber of Commerce B K Bajaj said, “It is an insufficient step against Pakistan.” He said that traders would keep their markets closed on Saturday to protest against Pulwama terrorist attack.

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