In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti has called for the restoration of the original purpose of the cross-Line of Control Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre in Uri, saying the facility was established to reconnect divided families, revive trade and heal the wounds of the past.Mehbooba made the remarks in a post on X while objecting to the reported move to use the facility as a tourism site instead of reviving the cross-Line of Control (LoC) links for which it was originally established.

“The Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre was built to bridge divided Kashmiri families, revive trade and heal wounds, not be reduced to a mere tourist site,” she said.She urged Omar Abdullah to raise the matter with the Indian government and seek restoration of the centre’s original purpose, stressing that Kashmir needed greater connectivity rather than the closure of routes that had provided links between people on the two sides of the LoC.

“Kashmir needs more bridges to the outside world, not the shutting of those that connect us,” Mehbooba said.The Salamabad centre, located near Uri in Baramulla district, became one of the two designated points for cross-LoC trade after India and Pakistan introduced the trade mechanism in 2008 as part of confidence-building measures. The system allowed exchange of goods between the populations on the two sides through a barter and zero-duty arrangement. 

The Uri-Muzaffarabad route had significance beyond commercial activity, as cross-LoC contacts also provided a mechanism for divided Kashmiri families to maintain contact after decades of separation. The Salamabad facility consequently became associated with the broader idea of reopening traditional links across the Line of Control. Mehbooba also invoked the politically charged history surrounding the opening of these links, recalling the 2008 “Muzaffarabad Chalo” agitation and saying that the establishment of the centre came at a heavy price, with several PDP workers losing their lives during the movement. 

The August 2008 march towards Muzaffarabad was supported by the PDP along with fruit growers, traders and Hurriyat groups amid the uprising surrounding the Amarnath land-row and an economic blockade of the Kashmir Valley. Indian forces stopped the procession near Uri and opened fire on the protesters killing several people, including prominent Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)