MUZAFFARABAD: Travel and trade across the Line of Control in Kashmir suffered a setback when the bus service through the Chakothi-Uri crossing point was suspended for Sunday.

However, the service through the TetrinoteChakan da Bagh crossing point in Poonch division would continue as usual, an official said. The bus service operates on Mondays, while trade is carried out from Tuesday to Friday through the two routes.

On Friday, the IHK authorities alleged that they had found about 12kg of contraband in an orangeladen truck at the Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) in Salamabad (Uri).

The standard operating procedure (SOP) for the barter trade requires trucks to return to Azad Kashmir after unloading goods on the other side by the same afternoon. But all 22 trucks were held up in the Indian-held Kashmir after the levelling of the allegation.

In a tit-for-tat response, the AJK authorities also stopped 50 trucks from leaving for the IHK. The trucks are parked at the TFC in Chakothi. Among the truckers, 12 are Sikhs and the rest Muslims.

`The travel from Chakothi-Uri will not take place on Monday because of some security problems for us.

The decision has been taken in consultation with the IHK authorities on telephone,` AJK Travel and Trade Authority (TATA) director general Brigadier retired Imtiaz Wyne told Dawn.

He said the authorities from the two sides would meet on Monday at Kaman Bridge and `I am sure there will be a breakthrough.

He replied in the negative when asked if there was any provision in the SOP that in the event of recovery of a contraband item, all the evidence, including the vehicle, driver and the consignment, would be returned to the place of origin for legal proceedings.

He said the matter had been discussed by the two sides after a previous such incident, but no decision had yet been taken.

Meanwhile, 49 vehicles which were transporting fresh fruit from the IHK to Rawalpindi were stopped on Friday night and have since been stranded in Abbasiyan village, causing worries among traders.

Abbasiyan is about 45km from here on the Muzaffarabad-Islamabad highway and is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to sources in the intra-Kashmir trade, the truck alleged to be carrying the contraband is owned by a person in Abbasiyan and he and men have stopped the 49 vehicles. He says he will let them move only after truck and driver return from the IHK.

`These 49 trucks are laden with bananas worth around Rs30 million. And if they do not reach the market by tomorrow (Monday) morning the fruit will rot and traders will suffer a huge loss,` Ajaz Ahmed Meer, information secretary of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry said.

He regretted that no official from the AJK, KP, Punjab or the centre, had taken notice of the matter over the past 48 hours.

When asked, Brigadier Wyne of TATA said it was a matter between traders.