Pakistan has denied visa to a 12 member delegation from Jammu and Kashmir disallowing it to attend a five day long peace conference in the neighbouring country,leading to its postponement. A 12 member delegation was to attend the conference which was beginning from Monday in Pakistan which would have discussed among other issues including the measures the two sides can take to improve the cross-loc trade. President of the Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry,Ram Sahai,said,"Pakistan government has denied the visa to us. We were told by the organisers of the conference that the visa was denied to the delegation from Jammu and Kashmir which led to the postponement of the programme. In the delegation besides the representatives of the traders body from Jammu and Kashmir were also people from academic disciplines." The five day long conference was organised by Liberal Forum Pakistan and the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation in India and was to discuss the strengthening of confidence building measures between India and Pakistan. Sahai said that the conference was also to discuss boosting the cross-loc trade between India and Pakistan which had been facing hurdles due to lack of banking facilities and the currency in which the trade was to take place. Last year in October a trade delegation from Pakistan had come to the state to discuss the modalities for the cross-loc trade and had been demanding,besides other things,the finalisation of the currency in which the trade can take place. However since then there has been no follow up meeting between the traders of two sides of line of control,and the conference in Pakistan was also to be attended by representatives from the Chamber of Commerce and Industries in PoK. Sahai said that the Pakistan government has denied the visa on the ground that the conditions in Pakistan were disturbed particularly due to the tension in Swat Valley. "This is very unfortunate," he said,adding that chances of further boosting the cross-loc trade have also got deferred.
