China closes Khunjerab Pass for four months

Published November 12, 2023
The Khunjerab Pass will remain closed from December to March. — AFP/File
The Khunjerab Pass will remain closed from December to March. — AFP/File

GILGIT: The Chinese government has announced the closure of Khunjerab Pass for four months in winter, almost a month after agreeing to keep the high-altitude road open throughout the year.

According to a notice issued on Saturday by the Khunjerab Port management of China’s Xinjiang region, the pass will remain closed from December to March.

It referred to the October 20 joint press statement issued after caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Third Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit Forum in Beijing.

The statement said the Khunjerab Pass will remain operational year-round.

The notice added that per the “Port Entry and Exit Management Measures”, the two countries will have to amend and sign the agreement on border ports and management systems through diplomatic channels to keep Khunjerab Pass open year-round.

China’s State Port Management Office will also seek the acceptance of the year-round opening of Khunjerab Port from relevant authorities, the notice added.

“[Until] the State Port Management Office of the People’s Republic of China issues an official notice, Khunjerab Port will continue to adopt the seasonal mode of customs clearance, with normal closure from December to March.”

In case of any special needs, Xingiang’s Khunjerab Port management will apply for a temporary opening of the pass.

Khunjerab Pass connects Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang region and is the highest paved international border at 15,500 feet from sea level.

Under the border protocol agreement signed between the two countries in 1985, the pass remains open for travel and trade between April and November.

In winter, trade and travel are hampered due to excessive snowfall. The road has already been covered with up to six inches of snow following the season’s first snowfall on Friday.

The travellers stuck on the road complained that authorities were not present to remove the snow or clear the road for traffic on the Pakistan side.

Imtiaz Hussain, who travelled from China to Pakistan through Khunjerab Pass on Friday, told Dawn there was zero traffic management to maintain.

He said vehicles carrying import and export items and passengers remained stuck for hours after the snowfall.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...