Barriers to Indo-Pak Trade: A Case Study of Land Routes

Abstract

Concerning land routes, the study aims to document some crucial barriers, which are relatively easy to address but potent enough to expand trade between India and Pakistan. Using field research, this article examines the factors that impede trade between India and Pakistan through land-border crossings—Attari–Wagah border in Punjab and, Chakkan da Bagh, Poonch, and Salamabad Uri, Baramulla, the two land-border crossings in Jammu and Kashmir. Semi-structured questionnaires are administered to traders and unstructured interviews are held with other stakeholders. The findings such as security issues, inadequate banking facilities, inadequate physical infrastructure, communication lacunae, excessive paperwork, and lack of arrangements for traders’ meets are documented as some of the prominent impeding factors in overland trade between the two nations. The prominent barriers perceived by the traders concerning Attari and Cross-the Line of Control (LoC) trade are excessive documentation, complex procedures, and nonavailability of banking facilities.