Protests Erupt in G-B After Police Crackdown on Traders

GILGIT: Protests broke out across Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) on Thursday after police and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel used tear gas to disperse traders staging a sit-in against income and sales taxes collected at the Khunjerab border.

The confrontation began in the early hours of Thursday when youth from Nagar and Hunza reached Sost to express solidarity with the protesting traders amid rumours of an imminent operation. Clashes erupted near Dry Port Chowk, where law enforcement agencies resorted to tear gas and aerial firing. Protesters allegedly retaliated with stones.

At least seven police personnel sustained minor injuries, while a driver with a head wound was referred to Gilgit for treatment. Security forces also detained four drivers from Nagar, accusing them of mobilising convoys of supporters for the sit-in.

Rehan Shah, PML-N Hunza president, who has been part of the sit-in since its outset, alleged that FC personnel had opened fire directly on the demonstrators and that expired tear gas shells had been used. He said several protesters were injured, though their exact number remained unclear as they were being treated privately.

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Hunza Superintendent of Police Capt (retd) Nabeel Ahmed denied reports of a planned crackdown, saying the operation was aimed at arresting a suspect accused of extortion at the customs and immigration facility. “We requested organisers to hand him over, but they refused,” he said.

In an emergency press conference, traders claimed they were close to finalising dialogue with the authorities when the crackdown was launched. Javed Hussain, former president of the G-B Chamber of Commerce, alleged that the police and FC’s aggression had sabotaged negotiations.

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Following the incident, demonstrations spread to more than a dozen locations in Hunza, Nagar and Gilgit. In Nagar’s Harespo area, protesters reportedly blocked additional police reinforcements headed for Sost.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan postponed his scheduled visit to Hunza citing the tense law and order situation in Sost. Speaking to media in Gilgit, he distanced the government from the operation, saying, “We were in dialogue with them, and it was progressing smoothly. We did not order any crackdown.”

Hunza police, however, maintained in an official statement that the action was linked to the arrest of a suspect, Irfan, who had allegedly forced his way into the Sost baggage area, smuggled goods, and snatched Rs2,000. The statement said legal proceedings would continue until his arrest.