Srinagar, Aug 9 : Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP chairperson, Mehbooba Mufti has demanded the immediate resumption of the Line of Control (LoC) trade, that was suspended in 2019.
While addressing a press conference here in Kashmir capital Srinagar, Mehbooba Mufti as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust criticized the Income Tax Department for harassing traders involved in the LoC trade, saying they are being unfairly targeted for taxes despite the trade being a barter system with no financial transactions.
She alleged that the Income Tax Department has been demanding taxes from LoC traders, who have become helpless and unemployed since the trade’s suspension. She said demanding tax from traders is unjustified.
She appealed to Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene and resume the trade, initiated by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and started during Manmohan Singh’s tenure.
Mehbooba Mufti said traders have been struggling since the trade’s suspension. “The LoC trade was a key confidence-building measure (CBM) between two parts of Kashmir,” she said.
She expressed concerns about the attempt to disempower the people of Kashmir and the potential seizure of traders’ properties. [KNT]
