Islamabad 22 July: Traders in Gilgit-Baltistan shut down the Silk Route dry port and blocked the Karakoram Highway protesting over the FBR tax policies.
According to news reports, several traders were detained after staging a protest near the Pakistan-China border. The Gilgit-Baltistan traders were demanding the rollback of income and sales taxes collected at the Sost Dry Port.
Traders blocked the Karakoram Highway at several points across Hunza and Nagar districts, leaving a significant number of tourists and travelers stranded in both regions.
The protest and the closure of the dry port was called by the Pak-China Trades Action Committee, a representative body of traders in Gilgit-Baltistan.
According to sources the Murtazaabad protest has concluded, but the sit-in in Sost, near the Pak-China border, is still ongoing.
READ MORE: Gilgit-Baltistan Introduces Entry Fee for Tourist Vehicles and Motorcycles
Protesters have now set up tents along the highway in Nagar’s Rakaposhi area and in Murtazaabad, Hunza, resulting in hundreds of Pakistani and foreign travelers being stranded.
Former president of the Gilgit-Baltistan Chamber of Commerce, Javed Hussain, blamed the local administration for turning a peaceful demonstration into a confrontation by detaining traders. He added that he would not compromise on the rights of GB and was willing to leave the PML-N party.
