In the border town of Sost, located at the Pak-China border, small traders organized a demonstration opposing the newly introduced changes to the luggage policy. These changes were implemented through amendments to section 79 of the Customs Act 1969, as part of the Finance Act for the fiscal year 2023-24.
The revised policy now mandates that individuals who import goods must submit a Goods Declaration (GD) for various purposes such as home consumption, warehousing, transshipment, or any other officially approved use within three days of the goods arriving at the border customs station.
The rationale behind this amendment, as outlined in the notification issued by the Additional Collector, is to prevent congestion and overcrowding at the border station.
It is noteworthy that the Pak-China border was reopened for both trade and passenger movement on April 3 of the current year, marking the end of a hiatus that had lasted over three years.