Pakistan on Sunday condemned the India’s unilateral decision to suspend cross-LoC trade and rejected the allegations regarding its misuse.
“The Indian action is based on groundless accusations that this mechanism is being used for smuggling, narcotics, fake currency and ‘terrorism’,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said in a statement issued on Sunday.
The statement added that the litany was in line with India’s frequent attempts to portray legitimate activities of people in Indian Occupied Kashmir as linked to ‘terrorism’.
According to the FO Spokesperson, cross-LoC trade between Pakistan and India has been one of the functional Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) which required relentless, diplomatic efforts. “The unilateral suspension of this Kashmir-related CBM indicates that India is seeking to reverse even the modest gains made by the two countries in the diplomatic domain. Its suspension without consulting Pakistan is deeply regrettable,” he said.
Dr Mohammad Faisal emphasised upon the consequences of the suspension of cross-LoC trade between the two countries in the form of economic hardship for the people of Kashmir. He said that the move will further squeeze the segment of people who could modestly benefit from this facility. “In our view, there are better ways of dealing with issues relating to implementation, if any, than resorting to unilateral suspension of important CBMs,” he added.
