Cross-LoC trade: Despite another round of talks, no headway

The deadlock over the cross-LoC trade remained unresolved Tuesday despite another round of talks between Indian and Pakistan trade officials at Kaman post on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The deadlock over the resumption of the cross-LoC trade could not be resolved during today's meeting with Pakistan trade officials as they remained adamant on the release of their driver, arrested with a consignment of brown sugar," Baramulla district magistrate Ghulam Ahmad Khwaja, who led the Indian side, told reporters Tuesday evening.

"We, however, gave the Pakistan side some documents pertaining to the arrest of their driver," he said.

A Pakistani driver was arrested and his vehicle detained at the Salamabad trade facilitation centre near the border town of Uri in the Baramulla district Jan 17 after Indian authorities found 114 packets of brown sugar, hidden inside bags of almonds.

In retaliation, Pakistan detained 27 Indian drivers and their vehicles at the Chakote trade centre there and also refused entry to 48 of their own drivers and vehicles who had come to India with goods the same day.

Although the cross-LoC bus service resumed after two weeks Monday, the trade deadlock entered its third week Tuesday.

Indian officials have made it clear to the Pakistani authorities that the arrested driver would have to face the "full force of Indian law" and cannot be released as the matter was to be decided by a court.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin at a briefing in New Delhi Jan 23 said: "I want to clarify that there is no modality that exempts a person alleged to be involved in a criminal activity from facing the full force of Indian law."

Khwaja said the Pakistani authorities had demanded that the arrested driver be released on bail and allowed to return.