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