MANSEHRA, Dec 3: Transporters in Kohistan on Monday observed a complete wheel jam strike against the ban on entry of their non-custom paid vehicles to Gilgit-Baltistan.
The strike call was given by All Transporters Association of Kohistan in view of the recent crackdown by the GB government on NCP vehicles.
Transporters and NCP vehicle drivers and conductors marched through the streets of Dassu, Puttan and Shitial areas and protested the restriction on the entry of their NCP vehicles to GB.
They blocked Karakoram Highway for many hours and stopped a 50-vehicle convoy leading to GB in Puttan.
Transporters said the government had declared Kohistan and Malakand a tax-free zone due to poverty and backwardness but the GB government was stressing them out by not allowing their vehicles to enter its territory.
“If we are not being allowed to take our vehicles to GB, then we would follow suit and give the tit for tat response to it and NCP vehicles from GB would also not be allowed to use our soil to proceed to other parts of country,” said a transporter.The GB government had banned the entry of NCP vehicles to its territory in March 2011 but the matter was later settled by the district administration of Kohistan and the GB government by allowing NCP vehicles to ply the two sides.
“We have restricted the convoy of vehicles in Puttan and Dassu as precautionary measures to avoid any unpleasant incident and would allow them to proceed to their respective destinations in GB shortly,” said Kohistan District Coordination Officer Aqil Badshah told Dawn.
Mr Badshah said he had already taken up the issue of NCP vehicles with the GB home secretary last month but the matter had yet to be resolved.
“To address the resentment of the people on this side of the border, we have restricted the entry of NCP vehicles of GB to Kohistan. The ban will remain in place until transporters of the two sides are allowed to take their NCP vehicles to both sides of the border,” he said.
The DCO said the federal government had exempted Kohistan from all taxes, including excise duty on vehicles, and allowed the people of Kohistan and Malakand division to use non-custom paid vehicles, but the GB government was creating hurdle in this respect.