The cross Line of Control trade center was inaugurated 10-years-ago as a confidence building measure.
The cross Line of Control trade center at Chakanda Bagh in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district came under
attack from Pakistan for the second consecutive day on Monday. Situated nearly a kilometre from the LoC, the trade center was the main stop for cross LoC trucks and buses. But with Pakistan shelling the center on the day of Holi, cross LoC bus services have been suspended.
Reacting to the incident, former Indian Army officer and Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said, "This is an old habit of Pakistan; whenever there is a festival on the borders, they resort to firing."
His words were echoed by his Cabinet colleague Jitender Singh, who said that the Modi government will give a "befitting" response to such acts.
"The concerned agencies will take into cognizance the chain of events that has taken place and you should trust the Modi government to give a befitting response," the Union Minister said.
The trade center was inaugurated 10-year-ago as a symbol of a Jammu and Kashmir confidence building measure announced by India and Pakistan. Trade takes place four days a week across the Line of Control in a primitive barter system with no banking or communication facilities.
"For the last 10 years, our LoC trade was going well. We did business in the tune of many crores. But now, with the firing taking place, I think it will be difficult to do business," an LoC trader Mohammad Yaseen had said on Monday.
In the past, there have been a number of ceasefire violations in the Poonch sector near the Line of Control. A soldier was martyred in a Pakistani attack on Friday.
(with inputs from PTI)