GILGIT: The protest led by traders and supported by political parties against the centre’s trade policies intensified on Sunday as protesters blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH) for traffic.
Local importers and exporters have been protesting against what they call the exploitative policies of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
A local PML-N leader said the federal government — led by his party — was not serious in addressing the protesters’ demand.
The sit-in against the revenue body entered its third day at Gulmat Nagar on Sunday.
The protesters have vowed the road connecting Pakistan with China will remain closed to traffic till the acceptance of their demands.
Thousands of passengers and tourists remained stranded on both sides of the road for many hours, with long queues of vehicles seen on both sides on Sunday.
‘Economic murder’
The call for protest was issued by the Pak-China Traders Action Committee, an alliance comprising the Gilgit-Baltistan Importers and Exporters Association; Gilgit-Nagar Chamber of Commerce; and small trade associations from Nagar, Hunza, and Gilgit.
On Sunday, people from all walks of life participated in the sit-in.
Meanwhile, various delegations of traders, scholars, civil society members from Hunza, Nagar, Gilgit and other areas joined the protesters. The protest leaders, Abbas Mir, Ebad Nagari, Muhammad Ismail and others, said thousands of protesters had been sitting on the road for the past three days but the authorities were reluctant to listen to their genuine grievances.
They lamented GB has “no industry” or employment opportunities in the private sector. The trade activity between Pakistan and China through the Khunjerab Pass was the biggest source of income for locals, they added.
They added people affiliated with this trade — transporters, shopkeepers, labourers, customs clearance agents, hotel owners, small businessmen — have been jobless for the last seven months due to the suspension of trade at Khunjerab Pass.
They said protesters have been demanding the clearance of over 240 consignments stuck at Sost Dry port for the past last seven months under a one-time amnesty scheme, as traders cannot afford billions of rupees in losses.
They said the policies of FBR and Customs at Sost Dry Port “economically murdered” locals.
They claimed that locals with border passes were not allowed to import items from China and the barter trade between Gilgit-Baltistan and Xinjiang province of China has been suspended.
The traders called for the facilitation of barter trade between GB and Xinjiang under the 1985 border agreement.
Additionally, seized counterfeit items at Sost Dry Port should be destroyed or auctioned within GB, the protest leaders demanded.
GB has a disputed status, yet local traders are paying all taxes and customs duties on imported goods.
Failed talks
Addressing the protesters, the president of PML-N Nagar chapter, Javed Hussain, said the federal government was “not serious in settling the issue”.
Mr Hussain, also a former member of GB Assembly, said trade policies at other ports of the country have been relaxed because “people of those areas have representation in parliament”.
“GB people have been paying all taxes, yet the FBR is reluctant to clear their consignments.
He said no taxation without representation was a universal law and the people of GB were neither given representation in parliament nor exemption from taxes.
“The government of Pakistan even gave amnesty to high-profile terrorists. So, giving a one-time amnesty to clear 250 consignments after paying taxes was not a big demand,” he said
GB Home Minister Shams Lone, assembly member Ayub Waziri and other officials met the protesters and tried to convince them to end the protest. However, the talks failed to produce results.
The government delegations told the protesters that their demands were “genuine” and supported by the GB government.
They added that the issues were related to the federal government, and the chief minister has already sent recommendations to Islamabad.
Muhammad Ali Quaid, special assistant to chief minister, told the media that the GB government has no power to solve the demands of the protesters.
He said the issue will be discussed in the upcoming meeting of the apex committee, including civil and military leaders.
Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2025
