ISLAMABAD: 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.
Khunjerab Pass linking Pakistan, China closed for four months
https://arab.news/ze477
Khunjerab Pass linking Pakistan, China closed for four months
- Last month Pakistan announced the high-altitude road would remain open throughout the year
- Khunjerab Port management of China’s Xinjiang region says pass to remain closed from December to March
At ECO meeting, Pakistan proposes ‘Regional Innovation Hub’ to curb natural disasters
- Pakistan hosts high-level 10th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction in Islamabad
- Innovation hub to focus on early warning technologies, risk informed infrastructure planning
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has proposed to set up a “Regional Innovation Hub on Disaster Risk Reduction” that focuses on early warning technologies and risk informed infrastructure planning, the Press Information Department (PID) said on Wednesday, as Islamabad hosts a high-level meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
The ECO’s 10th Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is being held from Jan. 21-22 at the headquarters of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in Pakistan’s capital.
The high-level regional forum brings together ministers, and senior officials from ECO member states, representatives of the ECO Secretariat and regional and international partner organizations. The event is aimed to strengthen collective efforts toward enhancing disaster resilience across the ECO region, the PID said.
“Key agenda items include regional cooperation on early warning systems, disaster risk information management, landslide hazard zoning, inclusive disaster preparedness initiatives, and Pakistan’s proposal to establish a Regional Innovation Hub on Disaster Risk Reduction, focusing on early warning technologies, satellite data utilization, and risk-informed infrastructure planning,” the statement said.
The meeting was attended by delegations from ECO member states including Pakistan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Representatives of regional and international organizations and development partners were also in attendance.
Discussions focused on enhancing regional coordination, harmonizing disaster risk reduction frameworks, and strengthening collective preparedness against transboundary and climate-induced hazards impacting the ECO region, the PID said.
ECO members states such as Pakistan, Türkiye, Afghanistan and others have faced natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes in recent years that have killed tens of thousands of people.
Heavy rains triggered catastrophic floods in Pakistan in 2022 and 2025 that killed thousands of people and caused damages to critical infrastructure, inflicting losses worth billions of dollars.
Islamabad has since then called on regional countries to join hands to cooperate to avert future climate disasters and promote early warning systems to avoid calamities in future.
