Coronavirus: Pakistan reschedules Khunjerab Pass opening

Pakistan has announced to reschedule the opening of Khunjerab Pass with China instead of its previous decision for an early opening, following outbreak of  Coronavirus.

According to the details, Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said in a weekly press briefing that the opening of the crossing point at Pak-China border would now take place according to routine plan.

Pakistan-China border was closed for four months and  commercial and tourist activities on the Pak-China border remain suspended from December 1 to March 31.

The border between the two countries is closed for four months every year under the Border Protocol Agreement.

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In the meantime, postal delivery between the two countries continues will continue,

Due to severe weather conditions in winter, it is not possible to continue commercial and tourist activities on the 16,000-foot of Khunjerab.

On April 1, 2020 the border was re-opened for commercial and tourist activities but the spokesperson said the change of decision for an early opening of border was part of health safety measures.

She said Pakistan was in constant touch with the Chinese authorities to ensure safety of its nationals and the contact persons of Pakistan embassy were available at hotline for any assistance.

She said Pakistan embassy in Beijing had contacted all students registered in its database, while those not registered, were appealed to approach dedicated telephone lines.

Of stranded Pakistanis in Urumqi, the spokesperson said the reason was delay in flight, however the Chinese authorities had been requested to arrange accommodation till next available flight.