Standoff between traders, officials continue in Sust
By Our Correspondent
GILGIT, July 6: The weeklong tussle between the Northern Areas traders and officials of district monitoring team (DMT) over the clearance of imported goods remained unresolved at the Sust border customs check-point despite hectic efforts made by the mediators.
It was learnt that the DMT officials had streamlined the customs duty clearance procedures after the resumption of work at the Sust Dry Port in an attempt to curb pilferage of the revenue collected in the form of customs duty, but the traders said it was not in the mandate of DMT Gilgit to intervene in customs duty payment affairs.
The traders said they had been paying billions (Rs800 million per annum) as duties on the imported freight from China without committing any swindle, but the DMT officials asserted that the situation was the other way round as some traders wanted a freehand and monopoly in total disregard to the custom procedures.
The border trade continues for eight months — May 1 to December 30. The border remains closed for the next four months due to heavy snowfall on the 16,000-feet Khunjerab pass and harsh weather.
The DMT officials said streamlining of the revenue and proper pre-shipment inspection was necessary for the promotion of bilateral trade between the two neighbouring countries by curbing smuggling and dropping in the peripheries of the dry port.
The DMT officials said the streamlining of inspection and customs duty procedures would encourage genuine traders and also highlight the importance of the newly-establish dry port in Sust.
However, the traders contended that they were ready to pay duties but they are opposed to interference of too many government agencies in the matters pertaining to pre-shipment inspection and duty payment.
They said they were being charged Rs25,000 per container at Dassu check-point in Kohistan district of NWFP despite having a clearance at the Sust customs check-point and this had led to the slump in border trade and the perpetual strikes would damage the prestige of the new dry port.
