Indian team visits Poonch trade post to review infrastructure, security

Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir), Oct. 29 (ANI): A Union Home Ministry team, led by Joint Secretary K Skandan, visited the Poonch trade facilitation centre on Thursday to review trade infrastructure facilities with Pakistan and suggested a tightening of security measures.

The delegation met various officials in the state and asked for refurbishing the infrastructure to enhance the trade.

"The joint secretary went to the site and reviewed the infrastructure himself as to what all is there and what more needs to be done. He said the trade could be increased. He also asked for increasing the number of security personnel. He also asked that the open godowns to have platform on roofs. He has asked for many other changes. We will be implementing these in this year only," said K L Khajuria, District Development Commissioner, Poonch.

India and Pakistan in August 2007 announced an ambitious goal to increase their trade by six times to 10 billion dollars by 2010 and said they would work to ease barriers that have hit commercial ties between the old rivals.

India granted a Most-Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan in 1996, but Islamabad has not reciprocated, saying any progress on trade should be in tandem with progress on Kashmir, at the heart of their animosity over the last six decades. (ANI)