Khunjerab pass reopening may bring great prosperity for GB people

BEIJING, Apr 13 (APP): Ajmal Khan, Vice President Gilgit-Baltistan Chamber of Commerce (GBCI) on Thursday said Khunjerab Pass was a great blessing for the GB people as it was the sole venue where trade took place and locals were dependent on trade across the border.

The Khunjerab Pass, the only official crossing between China and Pakistan, resumed two-way passenger traffic on April 3. Connecting Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, it was shuttered in 2020 to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

Before COVID-19, exports were mainly pine nuts. Pine nuts from Diamer in GB, Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa used to pass through Khunjerab Pass. When pine nuts were being exported, about Rs 4-5 billion could be earned, said Imran Ali, President of Gilgit-Baltistan Chamber Of Commerce.

“Currently, the highest demand in China is for cherry from Gilgit-Baltistan. Cherry of Gilgit-Baltistan is considered to be the best quality in the world,” Imran Ali told China Economic Net in an interview.

“The cherry of Gilgit-Baltistan ranks 7th in the world. It is flavorful, delicious and of good quality. When it is exported, we will get yuan or dollars from there,” Ajmal Khan told CEN.

Apart from this, walnuts are exported from Gilgit-Baltistan, and also seasonal fruits that come from Punjab like mangoes.
Earlier rice has been exported as well, Ajmal Khan added.

However, Khunjerab Pass lacks facilities for some exports. Due to hot water treatment and certification, Pakistan faces a lot of export difficulties despite demand for dry fruits and fresh fruits from China, Imran Ali pointed out.

Pakistan has two projects running close to Khunjerab Pass. One project is Diamer-Bhasha Dam, which requires heavy machinery. For CPEC mega projects, machinery is brought by sea which takes two and a half months. However, it takes them 10-15 days only to get their equipment to the project site through Khunjerab Pass, said Imran Ali.

In addition, Imran Ali said that bus service is important because passengers can fit more in the bus as the luggage they carry with them is in the form of bags. Since there is space in the bus, local traders can bring with them small merchandise in the form of bags in the bus. Moreover, tourists also come and go in both directions by bus, and there are more people going in the bus, so bus service is necessary.

“As gateway of CPEC is Gilgit-Baltistan, the road here needs to be widened and a tunnel needs to be built. Due to such hindrance, our import and export are less than other ports. About Rs 6-7 billion worth of goods are traded annually through this border, “said Imran Ali.

At roughly 16,000 feet above sea level, Khunjerab Pass is one of the highest border crossings in the world. “Pakistani government should build tunnels. If the tunnels are built, traffic will be available twelve months of a year. If not twelve months, at least from the 1st of March to the 30th of December, we can trade comfortably,” said Ajmal Khan.