Conciliation Resources and Bureau of Research on Industry & Economic Fundamentals (BRIEF) have jointly launched a program on Cross LoC trade through Jammu and Kashmir, primarily aimed at supporting and fostering LoC trade and addressing the associated development issues. Over the last seven years Cross LoC trade has been the most impactful Confidence Building Measure (CBM) implemented by India and Pakistan. At present, this trade has attained a level of confidence and credibility where its influence and reach within mainstream debates about trade and confidence building in Delhi and Islamabad can be taken to the next level, to expand the overall impact of LoC trade as a confidence building measure.

This program also envisages to encourage confidence building among LoC traders, by providing more participatory and inclusive platforms, wherein they could engage with policy makers, trade associations, academicians, researchers, CSOs, etc in policy circles of both New Delhi and Islamabad. Furthermore, the program will also focus on creating a link between traders of both sides of Kashmir with New Delhi and Islamabad. The program is being conducted through a multi-pronged outreach and research strategy focused on sensitization, engagements and dialogues at various stakeholder levels. The process will involve engagement with all the relevant stakeholders within J&K and outside. The ideational agenda of the program is to create awareness about the regulatory mechanism underlying LoC trade, its modalities and positive aspects that this trade has achieved till date, and also project the potential that this trade has, to act as a step towards ‘peace through trade’.