KHAPLU: The Chinese government has temporarily reopened the Khunjerab Pass, a major northern land route between China and Pakistan, from Jan. 2 to Jan. 16, Pakistani officials said on Tuesday, with the move aimed at facilitating traders. 

Khunjerab Pass is the highest paved international border at more than 4,600 meters (15,000 feet) above the sea level, linking Pakistan and China. The border pass remains closed from November till March every year due to the freezing cold. 

The border crossing, which connects Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) semi-autonomous region with China’s Xinjiang, was reopened in April 2023 after being closed for almost three years due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

During a visit to China in October last year, Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said the two countries had agreed to turn Khunjerab Pass into an “all-weather” border. However, it has remained closed due to the harsh weather since Dec.1 last year. 

“China has agreed to open the border in this duration [Jan. 2-16],” GB Collector Customs Mohammad Arshad Khan told Arab News over the phone. “And our staff, along with the National Logistics Corporation (NLC) officials, are present at the border.” 

Khan said during this period, a few TIR [Transports Internationaux Routiers] consignments and China’s stranded containers on the Pakistan side will cross the border. The TIR is an international customs transit system for goods carried by road. It streamlines procedures at borders, reducing the administrative burden for customs authorities. 

A letter issued by the Chinese embassy in Pakistan, dated Dec. 29, said the border pass would be temporarily opened from Jan. 2-16. “During the period, only transportation vehicles, drivers, and cargoes will be allowed to pass,” read a copy of the letter seen by Arab News. 

“Around 25 empty containers along with Chinese drivers will cross the Khunjerab border into China,” another customs official from GB told Arab News, on the condition of anonymity. These Chinese drivers were stuck with the containers in Pakistan since Dec. 1 when the border was closed, he added. 

“In addition, it is expected that around 22 transit consignments under TIR will move from Pakistan to China and the Central Asian Republics (CARs),” the official disclosed. “Three export consignments will enter China from Pakistan, and around eight project consignments meant for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam will also enter Pakistan from China.” 

Mehboob Rabbani, a member of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) who hails from GB, told Arab News the border’s temporary opening would be beneficial for traders. He said many containers were stuck on both sides of the border since Dec. 1 as Pakistan announced last year that the pass would remain open throughout the year. 

“The stranded things of Pakistani traders will arrive during these 15 days,” Rabbani said. “Secondly, local laborers and transporters will benefit from the resumption of business activities.” 

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.