Gilgit (Pakistan), Nov 12 (Representative) The wrangling between high-ranking customs officials has been hampering operations at the Sost dry port — Pakistan’s main land trade post with China — effectively halting goods transportation from Beijing to Islamabad through the Khunjerab Pass. Gilgit-Baltistan Collector Customs Nisar Ahmed Khan has accused the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation in Islamabad of needlessly blocking consignments from China without any jurisdiction in the region, the Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday. As the discord intensified, Khan allegedly allowed the release of four consignments, which had been blocked by the intelligence directorate.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Customs Collectorate had earlier cleared consignments that were eventually blocked in October this year, after intelligence directorate officials suspected that high taxable items were part of these consignments, the daily said. According to rules, the blocked consignments can only be cleared after the completion of an investigation by the intelligence directorate. However, when Khan visited the dry port on November 1, he ordered the assistant collector to release the consignments through manual inspection, in an apparent violation of rules as electronic clearance of the same is necessary. The same day, the assistant collector wrote to a senior manager of the Sost dry port to release the blocked consignments.
Meanwhile, officials of the intelligence directorate told Dawn on condition of anonymity — as they are not authorised to speak to the media — that the blocked consignments cannot be released without the directorate’s permission. FBR spokesperson Afaque Ahmed Qureshi said that apparently there was no row between the collector customs and customs intelligence at Sost. However, Khan claimed the directorate has no jurisdiction in the region. He said that 13 consignments blocked by the intelligence directorate were still stranded at the dry port. Under a protocol agreement between the two countries, trade and travel activities through the Khunjerab Pass continue from April to November every year.