Revenues from Sost border to be spent in Gilgit-Baltistan, says Barjees

Islamabad, May 26: Federal Minister for Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir Affairs, Chaudhary Barjees Tahir has said that the revenues earned from the Sost border in lieu of trade with China will be spent on the development of Gilgit-Baltistan.

In this regard, he has instructed to devise a formula for distribution of the revenues between Islamabad and regional government, within 15 days.

He made the remarks while presiding over a meeting specially convened to discuss the issue here in the federal capital.

The trade through Sost border, across the Khunjerav pass, had started in the mid 1980s, however, all the income obtained is routinely being shifted to Islamabad. The local people of the Hunza Valley particularly and the residents of GB generally had been demanding of the government to spend the income for the region’s development.

The volume of trade and the revenues are likely to increase exponentially in the years ahead as the Pak-China Economic Corridor starts functioning. However, the GBLA and the GB Council have so far failed to devise policies to safeguard interests of the region’s economy.

The meeting with attended by KA&GB Secretary Shahidullah Baig, Chief Secretary Gilgit-Baltistan Sultan Raja, GB Council members Amjad Advocte and Wazir Ibadat, among others.