Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today wrote to her Punjab counterpart Parkash Singh Badal, saying mutton traders and importers of the state are being harassed in Punjab and sought his intervention to stop it.
Mehbooba said certain persons near Madhopur in Punjab realize substantial amount of money from mutton dealers as special tax for transportation of livestock (sheep/goat), notwithstanding the fact that livestock are procured from neighbouring state of Rajasthan, an official spokesman said. She requested Badal that since the mutton dealers are not getting support from police, necessary instructions be issued to the concerned so that they are not harassed and no tax is charged from them for transportation of their livestock.
"The two nuclear armed neighbours must cooperate in the
fields of social development, including eradication of poverty and with their growing economies and energy needs, and the need for newer, more diverse markets and trading opportunities, the future of the troubled region has to be defined by common economic interests instead of hostilities, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said.
She called for reviving the spirit of the joint statement issued in Islamabad on December 9, 2015 following the meeting of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with her Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz.
In the Joint Statement, both sides had agreed to begin a Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue on Peace and Security, CBMs, Jammu & Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project, Economic and Commercial Cooperation, Counter-Terrorism, Narcotics Control, Humanitarian Issues, People to People exchanges and religious tourism.
Asserting that there is simply no alternative to talks, Mehbooba said the history is witness that even after having fought two wars, India and Pakistan had to time and again come back to the negotiating table to resolve their issues.
"I am sure that amidst the prevailing gloomy scenario in the region, the hope for peaceful means of resolving the issues will again stand the ground and political leadership of the two countries shall have to revive the peace and reconciliation with fresh resolve," she said.
"It will be in the interest of both the countries to solve their problems through the bilateral framework as it is the only way forward given the dicey parameters of international power politics," Mehbooba added.
