Cross-LoC trade hit as 27 Indian vehicles held in Pakistan

A day after Jammu and Kashmir officials detained a Pakistani truck with 100 kg of brown sugar, Pakistan-administered Kashmir authorities Saturday detained 27 Indian drivers and their vehicles who had gone to Muzaffarabad with goods, officials said.

All the trucks had gone with goods across the Line of Control (LoC) Friday, officials said here.

This followed the arrest of a driver and seizure of his truck that had come from Muzaffarabad after brown sugar was recovered from it by Indian authorities.

Officials said 48 trucks that had come with goods from Muzaffarabad were allowed to go back to Pakistan-administered Kashmir Friday, but they were not allowed to cross into the other side of the LoC by Pakistani authorities.

They subsequently returned to the Salamabad trade facilitation centre in Baramulla district.

Officials also said a meeting was held at the Kaman Post on the LoC in Uri sector between trade officials of the two sides Saturday to resolve the impasse.

"Pakistan-administered Kashmir trade officials demanded return of all the trucks and their drivers including the one from which the narcotics had been recovered," a senior official told IANS.

Baramulla district magistrate, senior superintendent of police and sub-divisional magistrate represented India, while the team of Pakistani officials was led by Brig. (retd) Muhammad Ismail Khan, the director general of the cross-LoC trade.