Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Gilgit-Baltistan Traders End 68-Day Sost Sit-In as PakistanChina Border Trade Restarts

A capped tax-exemption package tied to an FBR order unlocked the crossing.

Overview

  • Under the deal, Sales Tax, Income Tax and Federal Excise Duty are waived on Sost imports for local use by GB resident-owned firms authorised by the regional government.
  • The relief is capped at Rs4 billion annually on a first-come, first-served basis, reviewed every two years, with an FBR SRO due within 30 days and a GB focal body to publish details.
  • Trade leaders said about 300 containers stuck at the dry port should be cleared within two days as processing resumes.
  • Organisers from the Tajir Ittehad Action Committee and the GB Supreme Council voiced reservations and warned they will reconvene if the SRO is delayed or the terms are diluted.
  • The protest began in July over federal taxation and suspended customs clearance and had halted traffic on the Karakoram Highway, stranding passengers and disrupting millions of dollars in trade.