GILGIT: The ongoing protest by local traders, affiliated with Pakistan-China trade through Khunjerab Pass, against taxes intensified on Tuesday as protesters blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH), suspending transport operations between Pakistan and China for the second consecutive day.

Traders have been staging a protest sit-in, blocking the Sost Dry Port for the past nine days.

The traders are calling for the immediate clearance of containers at the dry port based solely on customs duties, exempting them from other federal taxes.

Due to the blockage, thousands of passengers, including Chinese nationals and foreign tourists, who were scheduled to travel to China’s Xinjiang province through Khunjerab Pass from Sost, remained stranded in the town.

Transport operations via Khunjerab Pass remain suspended

Protesters alleged that the administration attempted to disperse them and reopen traffic, but they resisted and blocked the Sost immigration office.

A large number of police personnel were deployed at the Sost customs check post to disperse the protesters and allow travellers to move towards China. However, protesters blocked the KKH and halted transport operations.

No untoward incident occurred on the occasion. Dawn tried to contact the Hunza deputy commissioner and the senior superintendent of police, but both declined to comment.

Opposition leader in the GB Assembly Kazim Mesum, along with opposition members Nawaz Khan Naji and Javed Ali Manwa, warned the GB government through their statements against taking any action against peaceful protesters.

In a statement, Kazim Mesum said that forcing traders to back down would be a failure of the federal government.

“The only corridor from China to Pakistan has been blocked by protesters; its effects will be felt globally, which is not a good omen,” he said. The opposition leader demanded that the local traders’ demands be resolved immediately.

Member of the GB Assembly Javed Manwa said that if the government used force on the ongoing peaceful sit-in of traders, the consequences would be dire.

Rashid Abbas, a protester, said their current demand was the exemption of GB residents from all federal taxes.

Rehan Shah, a local PML-N president, said the situation was worsening, as the locals’ main economic source was being blocked. He said locals had sacrificed for Cpec and Pakistan, but now centuries-old trade had been suspended.

Mohammad Ismail, a traders’ leader, said that the government remained reluctant to accept their genuine issues.

GB Governor Syed Mehdi Shah sent a letter to President Asif Ali Zardari, requesting his intervention. In the letter, he called for the clearance of the stuck consignments through an amnesty scheme. Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan also took notice of the protest and said he would take up the matter with the federal government.

According to a statement, an important meeting of the special committee formed by the GB chief minister was held. The meeting was attended by Special Assistant to the CM Muhammad Ali Quaid, representative leaders of the traders and officers of relevant institutions.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2025