Trade between China and Pakistan via the Sust Dry Port has been suspended for over a month as local traders protest new customs system. GILGIT: Trade with China through the Khunjerab Pass, a key part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, has been halted for more than a month because traders refuse to use a new online customs-clearance system at Sust dry port. The Gilgit-Baltistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GBCCI), among many other trade organizations, has thrown its weight behind the protesting importers and exporters. The Khunjerab Pass, at the border with China, is closed from December to March every year due to heavy snowfall. However, trade has remained suspended at nearby Sust port since the open season started at the beginning of April. Despite multiple rounds of talks between the traders, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Pakistan Customs and government officials, no headway has been made toward finding a resolution. About three dozen trucks, carrying goods to and from Pakistan, are stranded at the port. The traders consider the new Web Based One Customs (WeBOC) system a hindrance because the region lacks a proper Internet service, according to local daily newspaper Dawn. Businesses have also expressed frustration about using the system, saying they had not been given proper information and training to operate it However, the FBR said the system will not only make trade between Pakistan and China easier, it also provides Sust port with the same modern technology available at other dry ports across the country, something the government planned a long time ago. Nasir Hussain Raki, the president of GBCCI, described the system as a “conspiracy to cause trade between the two countries to fail.” He added that he has worked at the port for years, and the traders are uneducated and unfamiliar with the new customs-clearance system, which could render thousands of people jobless. He also warned that in a second phase of the protest, the Karakoram Highway will be blocked to put more pressure on the government over the issue. He did not say when such a second phase might begin. “If anything untoward happens, FBR and Pakistan Customs will be responsible,” he said. Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Legislative Assembly Member Javed Hussain said: “The FBR cannot impose laws in GB like in other parts of the country. The area is a disputed territory. It is a universal principle: no taxation without representation,” he added, referring to the collection of customs duties by the federal government in the region. He demanded that GB be declared a tax-free zone as locals demand.