The Hindu : 'J&K will benefit if borders are opened'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 29, 2003

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'J&K will benefit if borders are opened'

By Our Staff Reporter

Jammu Dec. 28 . Jammu and Kashmir will get an economic boost if the Jammu-Sialkot and Muzaffarabad-Uri road network are opened, the State Finance Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Beig, has said.Inaugurating a seminar organised by the Kashmir Foundation for Peace and Development here on Saturday evening, he said every part of the State would gain economically if the borders were opened and there was trade through the State's boundary. He called for a greater "people-to-people" contact between India and Pakistan and termed them crucial for solving all outstanding issues between the two countries including Kashmir.

Once interaction starts at different levels such as trade, culture and education, both Indians and Pakistanis would develop stakes across the boundaries. These, in turn, would make it easier for the decision-makers to come together for a solution."

Public opinion was the key to a solution, he said and added that the accords which both the countries strove to arrive at, failed because they were based on the personal understanding of the leadership.

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