Lone Imran
The former Indian Prime Minister and one of the shrewdest politicians, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had once said, “We can change our friends but not our neighbours.”
India and Pakistan’s relationship might not be going through the best of times now, but it has not always been the case. The trade between the two countries with rich religious, cultural, social and linguistic similarities, was afloat from different routes, be it the Attari border, Poonch or Uri.
A study reveals that after the Pulwama militant attack, trade between the two nuclear neighbors was suspended, which caused severe loss to thousands of businessmen and labourers.
Between India and Pakistan, one of the busiest routes of trade was the Salamabad-Chakoti Trade Union and it all started from the Trade Facilitation Center Salamabad, Uri, here, in North Kashmir’s bordering town Uri. Various spices, dry fruits, fresh fruits and vegetables including potatoes etc. were traded at this center.
Opened in 2008, the trade route emerged as a signal of a growing engagement between the two countries. The level of trade, which has touched Rs.1,600 crores, was far less than what the traders had hoped for. They say a clutch of factors — lack of infrastructure, poor communication facilities, absence of channelised bank facilities — were responsible for the sluggish trade.
On 8th March 2019, the trade was halted immediately after observing that the condition of historical bridge ‘Kaman Aman Setu,’ which connected India with Pakistan was “not good.” Trade was immediately suspended after passing all the vehicles to their respective destinations, successfully.
The “repair of the bridge,” to many seemed just an excuse because the real trouble was the cold relations between the two neighboring countries.
At the Trade Facilitation Center, Salamabad, there are 230 trade units, which are shut since the last 2.5 years. Traders had appealed both the countries to not stop the trade as it was their livelihood.
The Kashmiriyat learnt that 1,32,000 (one lakh thirty two thousand) labourers had worked here since 2008, the year trade had begun and 92,000 (ninety two thousand) trucks from Indian side had been engaged in the process.
Faisal Ahmed Khan (26), who owns a firm here at Trade Facilitation Center, Salamabad namely “Faisal Traders” expressed his disappointment and anger. “I am a young entrepreneur and investing here was a dream. I thought that this business will benefit me but now I am regretting my decision.”
“We are jobless now. And we have borne loss of lakhs of rupees since the last four years,” Khan told The Kashmiriyat.
Another trader and the president of “Trade Facilitation Center Salamabad,” Mr Hilal Ahmed Turkey, who owns a firm called “HK Traders,” categorically explained to The Kashmiriyat that how they witnessed loss of crores of rupees during this time span.
While talking to The Kashmiriyat, Hilal Ahmed Turkey, said, “We have provided approximately 1172 job cards among the unemployed people. Labourers were getting handsome amount of wages – upto 800 rupees per day for their work. Most of the labourers were from the bordering towns of Uri, who had no means to earn their livelihood other than this”.
“We had hired shopkeepers, accountants, labourers, transporters and small scale entrepreneurs as well. They earned their livelihood from this trade but unfortunately, all are jobless now and we have suffered, immensely,” Hilal told The Kashmiriyat.
A labourer from a border village of Uri, who worked as a labourer on daily basis at Salamabad talked to The Kashmiriyat over phone and expressed that he wished both the countries normalized their relationships and that they start the process of peace through trade, immediately.
He said that they were jobless and that this trade was the only medium through which they were supposed to earn their bread and butter.
It is pertinent to mention that 150 labourers worked with the traders in Salamabad on daily basis. Besides that, the shopkeepers at the National Highway from Baramulla to Salamabad also witnessed a massive downfall in market since the trade suspension.