ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s foreign office Sunday expressed disappointment overIndia’s decision to suspend cross-Line of Control trade, and rejectedIndian allegations regarding its misuse.
“The Indian action is based on groundless accusations that this mechanismis being used for smuggling, narcotics, fake currency and ‘terrorism’. Thislitany is all too familiar and in line with India’s frequent attempts toportray legitimate activities of the people in Occupied Jammu and Kashmiras linked to so-called terrorism,” the foreign office said in a statement.
The trade remained as one of the functional Confidence-Building Measures(CBMs) between the two countries, which came about after arduous diplomaticefforts, the foreign office said, adding that India’s unilateral suspensionof the Kashmir-related CBM indicated that India is seeking to reverse eventhe modest gains made by the two countries in the diplomatic domain.
The suspension of the cross-LoC without consulting Pakistan is deeplyregrettable, the foreign office added.
“Suspension of cross-LoC trade adds to the economic hardship of the dividedKashmiris and further squeezes the segment of people who could modestlybenefit from this facility. In our view, there are better ways of dealingwith issues relating to implementation, if any, than resorting tounilateral suspension of important CBMs.”
Talking about Pakistan’s action following Indian action, the foreign officesaid Pakistan will continue to work for facilitation and enhanced economicinteraction among the Kashmiri people, who remain the victims of thesituation arising from unresolved nature of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Pakistan also urged India to refrain from taking unilateral measures andresolve differences through constructive engagement with a view totransitioning from conflict to cooperation.