Kashmiri livestock traders are facing persistent extortion and harassment at key border checkpoints in the Indian state of Punjab, particularly Shambhu and Madhopur, where they are being forced to pay exorbitant bribes to cattle fair contractors operating with police connivance. The development highlights the growing vulnerabilities of Kashmiri businesses operating under hostile conditions outside Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. 

According to Kashmir Media Service, despite repeated appeals by the Kashmiri traders, the illegal extortion, ranging up to Rs 20,000 per truck, continues unabated. This has prompted wholesale mutton dealers in IIOJK to halt live animal imports from outside the territory, a move that could significantly disrupt Kashmir’s meat supply chain, potentially leading to scarcity and price surges. 

Even IIOJK Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Satish Sharma, has acknowledged the harassment faced by Kashmiri livestock traders at the Punjab borders and called for immediate action.Mehrajuddin Ganai, General Secretary of the Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association in Kashmir, addressing a press conference in Srinagar, said the decision to suspend trade was not a unilateral move but a collective decision made after extensive consultations in response to systematic abuse.

“Truckers are being forced to pay illegal charges making our business unsustainable,” Ganai said, urging the Punjab government to act decisively. Backing the dealers, Farooq Dar, Co-Chairman of the Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA), said the issue goes beyond business interests. “This is not just about trade, it is an assault on the economic well-being of our region. If the extortion continues, both the public and traders in Kashmir will suffer,” he warned. Dar urged the Punjab government to take swift and strict action to curb these illegal practices at the border checkpoints.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)