GILGIT: The Pakistan-China Khunjarab border was opened for bilateral trade and tourism after four months of closure.
Khunjerab border, the only land crossing connecting Pakistan with China is located at an altitude of about 15,000 feet above sea level. According to the protocol agreement of 1985, the border is closed for traffic from December 1 to March 31 due to snowfall.
Apart from the passenger vehicles in the border area of Gilgit-Baltistan, Sust, and the Chinese city of Tashkurgan, goods transport has also resumed. Bilateral trade and tourism will begin with the opening of the border.
Khujarab Pass derived its name from two words of the local Wakhi language: “Khun” means blood and “Jerab” means a creek coming from a spring or waterfall. In November last year, Khunjerab Port management of China’s Xinjiang region issued a notice that the pass would remain closed from December to March.
The notice said according to “Port Entry and Exit Management Measures,” the two countries would have to amend and sign the agreement on border ports and management systems through diplomatic channels to keep Khunjerab Pass open year-round. The pass connects Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang region and was reopened after closing for almost three years in April 2023.
A grand ceremony was held regarding the opening of the border at Khunjerab Pass. Former member Gilgit Assembly Javed Hussain, former provincial minister Muhammad Baqir, former provincial finance minister Muhammad Ali Akhtar also participated in the ceremony. A large number of businessmen from across the country including Gilgit-Baltistan were present on this occasion.
On the first day, 15 containers came to Pakistan from China with commercial goods which will be dispatched to Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi and other cities.
Last year in 2023, more than 400 containers came to Pakistan from Khunjerab Pass in six months, said Khurram Zafar, adding due to the arrival of containers in Pakistan, the government earned a revenue of Rs5.45 billion in the form of customs.
Local people also get employment opportunities when trade resumed through Khunjerab Pass, said former member Gilgit Assembly Javed Hussain, requesting the federal government to keep Khunjerab Pass open for commercial traffic throughout the year.
The Khunjerab Pass connects Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region and was closed on December 1, 2023, due to harsh weather.
China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan. The two countries collaborate on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with more than $65 billion pledged for road, rail, and other infrastructure developments in the South Asian nation.
