GILGIT-BALTISTAN: The government will have to construct a state-of-the-art infrastructure at the SOST Dry Port and Khunjerav in order to reap the benefits of multibillion dollars’ China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Chinese President Xin Jinping declared Pakistan as a safe haven for investment of billions of dollars when he had visited Pakistan in 2015 for signing the CPEC.
The scholars and researchers believe that the CPEC is not only an economic project but also the biggest opportunity throughout history of civilization. It is a historic opportunity for Pakistan whereas China and Pakistan must devise an effective strategy to make this project successful.
This correspondent visited Khunjerav (Gateway to CPEC) along with Ali Raza, Collector Gilgit-Baltistan, Shahid Rasheed, Executive Director CPEC Center for Excellence, few scholars and researchers from Karakorum International University (KIU) Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Iqra University Islamabad.
It was depressing when we saw the vehicles loaded with huge quantity of imports coming towards SOST Dry Port from China indicating that search in imports continued despite enhancing Regulatory Duty on different items. Despite the fact that not a single truck, carrying export goods, crossed us during our long journey from Gilgit to Khunjerav which comprises 1120 kilometers long distance.
President of the Nagar Chamber of Commerce told us when he was posed a query regarding the export activity that Chinese officials have to face gigantic hurdles standing at the entrance of the border. They showed dislike when saw our exporting goods and most of the goods packed back.
The oxygen remained the lowest at the top of 17,000 meter height from sea level where the Gateway started from Khunjrav but on Pakistani side there were no facilities to fight against the severe winter season. When we visited the place there was minus-5 temperature that hiked even by minus-25 during December to February period every year. Pakistan’s customs, Immigration and Border Security Forces lacked facilities to cope with the severe winter season and even they did not have any proper shelter at the entrance of the CPEC gateway.
There were no rest rooms for visitors and even Pakistan’s customs staff have to undertake official duty of checking the consignments coming from China without having any proper building at the dry port. On the other hand, when we visited the border site of China we find welcoming and very warm well furnished buildings with sophisticated and luxurious rooms, equipments and scanners to check ins and out facilities to ensure border security as well for generating revenues for their homeland.
It was also important that Chinese side had displayed photographs about important historical events happened between the two countries. Likewise, the major exports of China were displayed at the Gateway to CPEC.
China is planning to construct a tunnel to undertake business activities during hard seasons. One of customs officials told and added that what we were doing at our end is still a question-mark regarding the preparation to make the CPEC fruitful for our next generation?
On Pakistani side, no central heating system existed, so there was no other option but to halt clearing activities at Sost border for four months during the severe winter season from December to the end of February every year. There were no scanners available at the entrance of the Gateway of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to scan and check the consignments before entering into our territory before leaving towards central Asian states.
From 1st December till March every year, the SOST dry port faces minus temperature. They had no proper infrastructure as two customs officials died from heart arrest in corresponding years due to chilly season.
The road from Khunjerav towards Customs Dry Port, SOST is well carpeted but it could not support the incoming huge consignments around 300 to 500 containers daily in near future when CPEC will start.
The government must provide full attention to evolve a strategy to build another road to maintain the flow of would-be consignments because the present road can maintain passenger busses but cannot bear the heavy consignments of around 15,000 containers per month via China to Pakistan.
Every container requires 24-hour to clear from the SOST Dry Port before departure to the eastern states. If 500 containers take the same time then containers will stop bumper to bumper from Khunjrab to SOST Dry Port. In view of the international standers, one container takes 02 to 03 hours for clearance before departure to other destination, so we need scanners and WeBOC facility with Exchange of Data Information (EDI) to clear the containers in time, the Collector of GB informed Customs Today.
