BEIJING: In order to boost trade between Pakistan and China, the Chinese authorities temporarily reopened the Khunjerab Pass on January 2 and it will be open till January 16.
Located more than 4,600 meters (15,000 feet) above sea level, Pakistan and China are connected by the highest paved international border, the Khunjerab Pass. According to sources in the local media, the pass, which is a crucial land route that connects China and Pakistan, is often blocked from November to March every year because of extremely cold weather.
After being closed for almost three years owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the border crossing between China’s Xinjiang and Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) autonomous territory was reopened in April 2023.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar revealed plans to turn Khunjerab Pass into a “all-weather” border during a visit to China in October of that same year. Unfortunately, because of the severe winter weather, the route has remained closed since December 1.
In order to resolve the issue of Chinese containers that have been stuck on the Pakistani side since December 1, the Chinese had agreed to temporarily open the border during the designated period (January 2-16) in order to permit the passage of a small number of Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) consignments.
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The TIR system, which reduces the administrative burden for customs authorities, streamlines border procedures for vehicle freight.
Only goods, drivers, and transit vehicles will be allowed to pass at this time, per a letter from the Chinese embassy in Pakistan.
It is anticipated that some 25 empty containers will enter China through the Khunjerab border, along with Chinese drivers who became stranded in Pakistan. Eight project consignments and three export consignments intended for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam are expected to cross the border, while about 22 transit consignments under TIR will go from Pakistan to China and the Central Asian Republics (CARs).
