PDP MLA urges all-party meeting on free trade threat to IIOJK’s horticulture sector
Jammu: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para has called for an all-party meeting to assess the impact of free trade agreements with foreign countries on Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s horticulture sector, particularly the apple industry.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking in the IIOJK Assembly in Jammu, Para said such a meeting would help evolve a common stand on the issue.
Calling the Indo-US trade agreement an issue that cuts across party lines, Para urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to convene a meeting to collectively address concerns of farmers and horticulturists. “My request to the government, the chief minister and the members present in this House is that an all-party meeting should be held on this issue, because this is everyone’s issue — of the opposition, the BJP, the Congress and the government as well,” he said.
“If you call an all-party meeting and discuss this issue, an appeal can be made to Prime Minister Modi to consider the matter. For Kashmir, our problems are closely linked to economic revival,” he said.
The PDP legislator asserted that occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s economy cannot revive unless the apple industry is safeguarded.
He said trade agreements with countries such as the US, Australia, New Zealand and several European nations could severely impact the domestic fruit market, causing hardship to growers.
Para flagged rising unemployment and said sustained economic recovery was essential for steering the territory away from ongoing violence.
