New president of AJK joint chamber elected

Committee to be formed that will draft constitution for the body.

MIRPUR: Dr Mubeen Ahmed Shah, eminent businessman of Srinagar and former president of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has been elected president of the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JKJCCI), a spokesperson for the chamber announced on Friday.

JKJCCI is a body of businessmen representing all regions on both sides of the line of control (LoC) in Kashmir.

Shah, who takes over from founder-president Zulfiqar Abbasi, got support of nine out of 11 members representing the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) and other traders in a meeting held in Srinagar on Thursday, the spokesperson said while talking to the media.

Shah vowed that he would work in close coordination with the stakeholders and the government to facilitate trade between the two sides. He also spoke to Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry President YV Sharma and Federation of Chambers of Industries Chairman Anil Suri and offered to work in close coordination with them.

The next step in making the JKJCCI a more formal institution is to constitute a committee of six members, which will draft constitution for the body and get it passed by the entire body of 44 members before April 30. Cross-LoC trade got under way in October 2008 and later in July 2011 the two sides agreed on promoting tourism and cultural exchanges.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2012.