GILGIT (FP): The Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Chief Court has suspended the 300% hike in mountaineering royalty and trekking permit fees but has not barred the issuance of permits, contrary to claims made in a letter from the GB Tourism Department.

Advocate Sanan Ahmad, representing the Pakistan Association of Tour Operators (PATO), clarified this on Friday after the tourism department cited court orders to suspend permit issuance.

“The court did not instruct the department to stop issuing permits,” Ahmad told Formal Post on Friday. “It only suspended the 300% fee increase imposed by the department,” he explained, referencing the court’s judgment.

Earlier, on Wednesday, GB tourism department had claimed that the court had suspended operations which led to a complete ban on issuing mountaineering and trekking permits until the next hearing.

The controversy arose after Adventure Tours Pakistan (ATP) applied for a trekking permit for the Panmah Glacier-Sim Pass expedition, scheduled from March 24 to April 23, 2025. The group had already secured international travel arrangements and necessary route clearances from relevant authorities.

The court’s decision followed a petition filed by PATO, challenging the sudden fee hike under the Gilgit-Baltistan Finance Act 2024. PATO argued that the steep increase would deter foreign adventure tourists, especially when Nepal offers more affordable permit fees for climbing eight-thousanders, excluding Mount Everest.

Tour operators termed the timing of the decision is critical, as international tour operators have already begun applying for permits.

The Panmah Glacier-Sim Pass expedition, for instance, had completed all necessary preparations, including obtaining No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and route clearances, a tour operator said.

The confusion surrounding the court order has sparked concerns within the tourism sector. Gilgit-Baltistan, home to five eight-thousanders and over 100 seven-thousanders, is a global hub for climbers and trekkers.

Tour operators warn that uncertainty over fees and policies could drive away adventure tourists, negatively impacting the local economy, which relies heavily on mountaineering and trekking expeditions.