The Chinese government has announced the closure of Khunjerab Pass, a major land trade route between Pakistan and China, for four months, less than a month after Islamabad announced the high-altitude road would remain open throughout the year.
Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said at an event at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in October that the pass would be converted to an all-weather border.
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.
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.
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.
China’s State Port Management Office would also seek the acceptance of the year-round opening of Khunjerab Port from its 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 would apply for a temporary opening of the pass.
In China last month, Kakar had said Pakistan would like to upgrade customs and other logistic services at the pass to facilitate trade and movement of people. “As per the consensus reached in Beijing during my visit, our land border at Khunjerab Sost will be converted into an all-weather model,” Kakar said.
The pass connects Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang region and was reopened after closing for almost three years in April 2023. The land border was closed in 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19. Khunjerab Pass, the highest paved international border at more than 4,600 meters (15,000 feet) above sea level, is closed during winter months because of harsh weather.
