GILGIT, May 21: The traders dealing in imports and exports through the Pakistan and China border threatened on Thursday to start a long march towards Sost checkpost if the border opening was delayed by June.

The border with China was closed owing to Sars . Speaking to newsmen the Pak-China Border Traders Association (PCBTA) representatives Babar Khan, Ishfaque Afzal and Hussain Ali said that due to the prolonged closure of the border between China and Pakistan at Sost had ruined them financially as they were to return their loans on the scheduled dates.

They said it was the responsibility of the officials to make anti-Sars arrangements at Sost border, like they had done at airports and seaports of the country. It was unjustified to close the border due to Sars scare because Kashgher province of China, from where traders of the Northern Areas purchased consignments, was free from any Sars-related cases, they claimed.

They said it was a US propaganda to harm the economic interests of China and had been overstated through US media reports.

Thousands of families, the representatives said, were directly or indirectly dependent upon this border trade and its closure might create further unrest in the region.—Correspondent