Truckers, traders see hope at end of the tunnel
AMRITSAR: *Kulwinder Singh, 36, a second generation porter at the integrated check post at Attari, has been a coolie since 2014 but went jobless in August when Indo-Pak trade was suspended after the revocation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir. “It’s hard to make ends meet. I’m even unable to pay my children’s school fee. With the Kartarpur Corridor opening, I’m hopeful trade will resume from Attari-Wagah, too.”
*Kuldeep Singh, 51, a truck driver at the integrated checkpost, has also been without work for three months. “I was unable to pay the loan instalments and now the bank has impounded six of my trucks. It’s a terrible time for the family. May Guru Nanak bless both countries with good sense.”
Kulwinder and Kuldeep are not alone in hoping that the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan on Saturday improves the chances of cross-border trade resuming from the Attari-Wagah integrated checkpost (ICP), 25 km from Amritsar.
Thousands of porters, traders, truckers and their helps, from the border village of Attari and its surrounding areas have been rendered jobless or are facing losses after Pakistan snapped trade ties three months ago.
There is no industrial unit in the area and people depend on trade and agriculture for a living. According to officials, nearly 3,000 truck drivers and 2,866 porters work at the ICP. “Now, most porters are forced to work as labourers elsewhere. Some have left to find work in Maharashtra and even Nepal. We hope that with the opening of the corridor, not only trade but other conflicts will also be resolved,” says Gursahib Singh, 38, the president of the porters union at ICP. “Despite tension between India and Pakistan, Guru Nanak’s final resting place is being made accessible to Indian pilgrims without a visa is a good sign,” he adds.
Balwinder Singh, 40, the president of another porters’ union, says: “During talks between Indian and Pakistan officials, the issue of opening trade at the Attari-Wagah border was also taken up on our request, but priority was given to the corridor as the Guru’s 550th birth anniversary was approaching. With trade active with Afghanistan, only 200 coolies have work at the ICP.”
WORSE THAN WAR
The president of the truck driver’ union at Attari, Amarjit Singh Shinda, 43, agrees and says, “We have never been jobless like this.”
Porters have been ferrying import and export goods between India and Pakistan at the border since 1965. Harbhajan Singh, 51, a porter union leader, says, “We didn’t suffer like this even after the 1965 and 1971 wars. The business of small vendors at Attari village revolves around trade here.”
The ICP, spread over 118 acres, was built in April 2012. In 2018-19, trade amounting to ₹4,354 crore was recorded between the two countries but the ICP saw only ₹532-crore trade with Pakistan till June this year. Import from the neighbouring country had come to a standstill when India hiked duty on Pakistani goods from 5% to 200% after the February 17 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed. In August, Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan suspended trade relations in retaliation to India revoking special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
SECURITY COMES FIRST
Federation of Karyana and Dry Fruit Commercial Association president Anil Mehra says, “Traders of both countries have been suffering huge losses as the ICP had been seeing import and export worth ₹3,000 to ₹4,000 crore every year. Pakistan should not have taken the decision to stop all trade. It could have simply hiked duty as India did. But now with the corridor opening, we hope Guru Nanak Dev will bless both countries with good sense. Though we are with our country and its security comes first, we also hope trade resumes with the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor.”
Land Ports Authority of India Attari ICP manager Sukhdev Singh says it’s for the government of both countries to take a call on but trade between India and Afghanistan has been normal.