Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Wang Na) news: On the morning of May 20, 2024, the Travel Inspection Hall at Khunjerab Pass welcomed the first group of passengers of the day. They carried bags and lined up to handle border inspection procedures under the guidance of border inspection staff.

Photo taken on May 20, 2024 shows a staff member of Khunjerab Border Inspection Station guides passengers to board at Khunjerab Pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Li Shiling)

Khunjerab Pass is located on the Pamir Plateau, with an altitude of over 4,700 meters. The air here is thin and the climate is cold, but the harsh natural environment does not hinder people's footsteps. According to the statistics from the Khunjerab Border Inspection Station, since its opening on April 1, 2024, the number of inbound and outbound passengers at Khunjerab Pass, has continued to rise. As of May 19, 2024, it had exceeded 5,000 people, a year-on-year increase of 454 percent. A total of 246 inbound and outbound tourists went to Pakistan and other South and Central Asian countries for tourism, with Chinese citizens accounting for 69 percent and foreign citizens accounting for 31 percent.

"We travel to Pakistan from Kashi via the Karakoram Highway. Along the way, we can see many magnificent scenery, such as Mustag Mountain, the Panlong Ancient Road, and the border gate of Khunjerab Pass. We can enjoy the magnificent scenery of our motherland." Huang Mingyu, a tourist who wants to travel to Pakistan and other Central Asian countries through the Khunjerab Pass, and then returned home by plane.

Khunjerab Pass is the only land port between China and Pakistan, located 420 kilometers from Kashi and 1,890 kilometers from Urumqi. It is 270 kilometers from here to the capital city of Gilgit in northern Pakistan, and approximately 870 kilometers to the capital city of Islamabad in Pakistan. The convenient transportation conditions make this port an important transit point for international trade and cross-border tourism between China and Pakistan. With the increasing popularity of cross-border tourism between China and Pakistan, Khunjerab Pass has been particularly bustling. There are many tourists dressed beautifully and many merchants carrying luggage.

Photo shows tourists line up at the Travel Inspection Hall of Khunjerab Pass, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Ye Sicong)

Not long ago, a tour group of nine people from a travel agency in Kashi took an international bus to northern Pakistan for a five-day tour. The Khunjerab Border Inspection Station opened a special channel, and the tour group successfully cleared the border in less than 30 minutes.

"Cross-border tourism is becoming increasingly popular, so it has higher requirements for service," Song Xueliang, deputy director of the Border Inspection Department at Khunjerab Border Inspection Station said. Based on the advantages of the location, Khunjerab Border Inspection Station has effectively improved its service and clearance efficiency by optimizing procedures, setting up special channel, and strengthening warning prompts.

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