Islamabad, 31 March 2022 (TDI): The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan for Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood shared that the Khunjerab Pass will be opened on the 1st of April 2022.
The Pass will be opened by the People’s Republic of China. It is pertinent to note here that the Khunjerba pass has been closed for the last two and half years.
However, the pass was opened temporarily in July and September of 2020 and again in November 2021. However, it was only to enable the conveyance of the goods containers stranded in China.
The stranded containers from China were unloaded at Khunjerab Top instead of the port at Sost, during the temporary opening.
A notification was disseminated by the Kashgar district administration stating that as per the agreement signed by China with Pakistan on May 22, 2013, the Pass will be officially upgraded on 1 April 2022.
Measures would be in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Abdul Razak Dawood, the Special Assistant also announced the news on his official Twitter account.
We are pleased to share that 🇨🇳 China is opening the Khunjrab Border on 1 April 2022. It will not only help in utilization of the second phase of 🇵🇰 Pakistan-China FTA but it will also support the local commerce on both sides of the border 1/2
— Abdul Razak Dawood (@razak_dawood) March 29, 2022
He stated in the tweet that the opening up of the strategic Pass will help in the utilization of the second phase of the Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement.
Moreover, it will also support the local commerce on both sides of the border, especially the exporters of fruit and vegetable from the northern side of Pakistan.
The Special Assistant also urged the exporters to utilize the prospect and take advantage of this opportunity to increase exports to China.
Khunjerab Pass
The Khunjerab Pass is a strategic mountain pass that serves as an entrance to CPEC. According to the natives, it is crucial to open regular trade via Khunjerab Pass for ensuring the success of the One Belt One Road project.
The Khunjerab Pass is located on the Northern border of Pakistan that it shares with China and is the only land route between the two countries.
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