Hundreds of trucks carrying goods stranded at Pak-China border as protest against power crisis in Gilgit-Baltistan disrupts trade

Islamabad: Hundreds of trucks carrying goods are stranded at the dry port of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as the main highway in Gilgit-Baltistan remains closed for the fourth consecutive day on Monday due to a sit-in by local people against power outages.

The protest - launched on the call of the Hunza Awami Action Committee and the All Parties Traders Association against the power crisis in the Gilgit-Baltistan region - has paralyzed the Pak-China trade, trade bodies said.

According to trade bodies, the protestors continue to block the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in Hunza district’s Aliabad area for the fourth consecutive on Monday.

Dawn newspaper reported that while the government has failed to find any solution despite its efforts, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Imran Ali said that 700 trucks, including vehicles loaded with imports and exports, have been stuck at the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) dry port due to the sit-in.

The dry port - established in 1985 to facilitate trade between Pakistan and China - serves as a vital link in the CPEC.

“Trucks carrying goods from China are stuck at the dry port, while Pakistani trucks meant to transport goods within the country are stranded at different places within Hunza,” Ali said.

Earlier, government offers were rejected and residents had announced to continue protesting till the resolution of the issue. They had spent Saturday night at their protest camp despite the freezing temperatures and announced to continue it until the government fulfilled their demand.

On Sunday, a protest rally was held in Ganish village, while participants later joined the sit-in.

According to a statement issued by the Hunza deputy commissioner on Sunday, a meeting was held at his office with representatives of the protesters.

The deputy commissioner assured the protesters that the Gilgit-Baltistan government would immediately take measures to improve the electricity supply to Hunza.

However, the protesters rejected the offer and termed it a “fake promise,” saying such promises were also made in the past but never implemented.

Ali said that traders were facing serious problems due to the situation.

“The machinery to remove snow from the border has also been stuck on the way, and the process of restoring the border has not even started,” he said.

“In such a situation, how will vehicles travel between both countries?” The Chamber of Commerce president further said that the continuous closure of the highway in Hunza-Aliabad had affected tourism activities.

According to residents, many tourists going to the region to enjoy the snowfall at the Pak-China border were also returning. The customs authorities also confirmed that trucks loaded with imported goods were stuck at the CPEC dry port.

The deputy commissioner had assured the protesters that the GB government would immediately take measures to improve the electricity supply to Hunza.

For this purpose, a new power transmission line would be laid from Jaglote Guro in Gilgit to central Hunza. This transmission line will provide Hunza with 1.5 megawatts of electricity in the winter and four to five megawatts in the summer.

When contacted earlier, Commissioner Gilgit Division Kamal Khan told Dawn that there was a shortage of power across GB, and Hunza was not an exception.

He said power generation in the region depended on hydropower stations, which required enough water flow, adding that in the winter season, when water flow in the channels of powerhouses decreased, power generation also decreased.

“So the power shortage becomes an issue across GB in every winter season,” he had said.

GB is a key region linking Pakistan with China and the mega CPEC between the two countries passes through it.