June 20, 2002	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 8, 1423

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GILGIT, June 19: Traders, politicians and religious leaders in Northern Areas have given a wheel-jam strike call for Thursday to protest against the imposition of new taxes and alleged misbehaviour of the Qasim Rangers deployed at the Sost Customs checkpost.

The representatives of the Northern Areas Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Gilgit Traders Association and politicians announced at a press conference here on Tuesday that they would shut down their businesses on Thursday to observe a wheel-jam strike.

They demanded withdrawal of the new taxes and removal of the Qasim Rangers from the Sost Customs checkpost in Upper Hunza, 200km of here, as, they said, the region of Northern Areas was not a constitutional part of Pakistan.

They alleged that the Rangers harassed and insulted the people, saying that with their deployment along the Sost border, tourism and trade activities had come to a standstill.

The traders and politicians held the Rangers and the Frontier Constabulary responsible for creating the sectarian strife and law and order situation in the area. The demanded that the law enforcement agencies be replaced by a local force.

They lamented that the Rangers and other paramilitary forces had been consuming over Rs60 million from the development budget of Northern Areas annually.

The representatives of transporters have assured the traders that they would participate in the anti-tax strike.