Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir – PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has urged the then Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take up the matter of converting the Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre, located near the Line of Control in Uri, back to its original purpose with the Union government. The centre was initially intended to foster connections between divided families and revive trade across the Line of Control.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that Mufti expressed her concern on social media, stating that the Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre was constructed with the aim of bridging divided families, reviving trade, and healing wounds, rather than being repurposed as a mere tourist destination. She highlighted the sacrifices made, including the loss of lives of Peoples Democratic Party workers during the Muzaffarabad Chalo rally, which was associated with the centre’s establishment. Mufti appealed to the then Chief Minister to engage with the Government of India to restore the centre’s primary objective.
The former chief minister emphasized the broader need for open routes that connect Kashmir to the rest of the world. She stated that Kashmir requires more avenues for external engagement rather than the closure of existing pathways that facilitate these connections. The Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre was established in 2008 following an agreement between India and Pakistan to implement a barter system for trade between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Cross-LoC trade was suspended by the Union government in April 2019. Authorities cited allegations that the trade route was being exploited for militant financing, smuggling of illegal weapons and narcotics, and the circulation of counterfeit currency. This suspension marked a significant halt to the economic and social exchanges that the centre was designed to facilitate.
In a recent development, the tourism department took administrative control of the trade facilitation centre. This transition occurred after the facility had remained largely inactive for the preceding seven years, underscoring the ongoing re-evaluation of its utility and purpose by regional authorities.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
