Srinagar | PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday welcomed the opening of the Sharda Devi Temple near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.

She also expressed hope of resumption of cross-LoC trade.

“This is very good. We have always been saying that we need to engage, reconcile and resolve things. The opening of Sharda temple is a very good thing. It is something that the Kashmiri Pandits were looking forward to, they really wanted it to be opened,” Mehbooba told reporters here.

Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah e-inaugurated the Mata Sharda Devi temple in Karnah sector of the north Kashmir district. The PDP chief expressed hope that the opening of the temple will not be restricted to pilgrimage, but “it will go beyond that”.

"I also hope that the business which was conducted on Muzaffarabad Road and Rawalakot road, that also is resumed,” she said, referring to the now suspended cross-LoC trade on Uri-Muzaffarabad, and Poonch-Rawalakot routes.