ISLAMABAD – Chinese nationals adopted a unique way of protest at the NewIslamabad Airport.
Lian Zhehfu and Lei Zhentao protested at the new Islamabad InternationalAirport regarding the customs tax of $285 on 4 of the 6 handsets theybrought in.
As per PTA policy, foreign passengers are exempt from taxes on one handsetbut they must pay the fees on any other GSM device they bring alongsidethem. If the applicable taxes are not paid during the 30 day period, thedevices will stop functioning in the country.
What happened afterward is incredibly interesting, $285 is a hefty amountto be charged after someone has just arrived from another country. Whilethey paid the amount without any ifs and buts, however, they lay on theexit of the international arrival lounge to protest the hefty tax that theyhad just been charged.
The duo said that since they come to Pakistan several times a year, theyshouldn’t pay taxes every time they bring in an extra cell phone.
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The DIBRS system by PTA has yet to be implemented and after the system willturn on, it will theoretically disabled all devices whose IMEIs arenon-compliant with PTA.
Hence those devices which are not properly registered and verified are at arisk of being disabled. The same system will be used to disable devices offoreigners in Pakistan if the respective taxes have not been paid.
The Chinese men ended their protest after the Airport Security Force (ASF)personnel informed them that their concerns will be forwarded to therelevant authorities for consideration.
