A massive and unprecedented public uprising has gripped Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (POK), sending shockwaves through Islamabad and Beijing alike. For the third consecutive day, the strategically critical Karakoram Highway, the linchpin of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), remains completely blocked by protestors—paralyzing cross-border movement and threatening billions in Chinese investment.
The highway, which links Pakistan to China’s Xinjiang province through the Khunjerab Pass, is now a symbol of rage and resistance. Local traders, workers, and citizens have erupted in anger over the Pakistani state’s economic strangulation, administrative neglect, and military exploitation. What began as a protest over halted trade has snowballed into a rebellion challenging Pakistan’s very control over the region.
The roots of the protest lie in the abrupt suspension of cross-border trade through the Khunjerab Pass since December 2023. Hundreds of traders in Gilgit-Baltistan are now out of work. Nearly 200 shipping containers loaded with goods—some worth crores—lie rotting at the Sust dry port, turning livelihoods into ruin. Unemployment has exploded, and so has public fury.
Protestors have squarely blamed Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Customs Department for selectively crushing the region’s economy. “Traders in mainland Pakistan enjoy exemptions, but in Gilgit-Baltistan, we are taxed, ignored, and exploited—despite having no voice in Parliament,” one protestor declared.
The Karakoram Highway, hailed as the “backbone” of CPEC, is now a pressure point. Beijing’s grand vision of linking Xinjiang to Gwadar through a seamless trade corridor has hit a wall—quite literally. If the protest continues, the multi-billion-dollar CPEC initiative faces logistical disaster. Chinese investments, already facing insurgent attacks in Balochistan, now find another critical artery blocked in the north.
This unrest in Gilgit-Baltistan could severely dent Beijing’s confidence in Pakistan’s ability to provide security and local cooperation. China, though officially silent, is undoubtedly watching with concern.
The message from protestors is clear—no resumption of trade, no clearance of stuck goods, no highway reopening. The demand for a one-time amnesty scheme to clear their goods and resume legal trade has become non-negotiable. The movement, peaceful yet firm, has become a litmus test for Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership.
The Gilgit-Baltistan government has admitted the “legitimacy” of the demands, but passed the buck to the central government in Islamabad. Meanwhile, the federal government, led by Shahbaz Sharif, has maintained a disturbing silence, further fuelling discontent.
This highway blockade is not an isolated outburst. It is the culmination of years of simmering discontent. Locals accuse the Pakistan Army of land grabbing, plundering natural resources, and ignoring public welfare. Protests earlier in January and April highlighted issues like wheat subsidy cuts, power outages, and illegal occupation of ancestral land—but were brushed aside. Now, the people have united with a clarity of purpose: dignity, representation, and justice—or defiance.
With Punjab reeling from political instability and Balochistan fighting insurgency, the rebellion in Gilgit-Baltistan presents a third front of crisis for Pakistan. Worse still, it lays bare the unsustainable nature of CPEC, which was built without real consultation or benefit-sharing with locals.
