NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has put forth the idea of creating a trade corridor between South Asia and Central Asia which would involve both Azad Kashmir (AJK) and Indian-occupied Kashmir (IOK). According to reports, Mehbooba proposed the idea based on the pattern of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Speaking in Jammu and Kashmir’s Legislative Council, she said that a corridor through the proposed region would forge a connection between the two emerging economic zones and would result in regional cooperation, energy transformation and trade. The chief minister was of the view that the subcontinent had been historically linked to Central Asia through Kashmir, thus Jammu and Kashmir could become a nucleus that would create a new economic alliance in the region. Mehbooba shed light on the fact that South Asia was facing an energy crisis and the nearest solutions to the problem were the oil and gas rich nations of Central Asia. She added that Jammu and Kashmir could play a vital role in creating a connection for energy cooperation between South and Central Asia. The chief minister said that not only would this solve the energy crisis but it would help in bringing J&K out of economic and political misery. Moreover, “Such an arrangement will supplement the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through this part of Kashmir,” the chief minister opined. Mehbooba further said, “The trans-Kashmir corridor, with diverse sub-corridors, was symbolic of relative peace, prosperity, cross-cultural and ideological fertilisation and human security until late 1940s which got disrupted due to partition in 1947.” She said that the opening of trans-Jammu and Kashmir and trans-Azad Kashmir routes was direly needed in wake of the transforming geo-economic and geo-political scenarios at the regional and global levels. The chief minister said that the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalakot roads have already been opened for movement of people and goods, but traditional road links such as Suchetgarh-Sialkot, Kargil-Skardu, Bandipora-Gurez-Gilgit and Nowshera-Mirpur should also be opened for the free movement of people and goods in the region.