Gilgit-Baltistan – A Pakistani state-owned company and a major Chinese transportation firm resumed a cross-border bus service through the Khunjerab Pass on Tuesday after a 14-year hiatus. Locals have welcomed the initiative, highlighting its potential to boost economic prospects.
The bus route traverses the Khunjerab Pass, linking Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang region. Service was suspended in 2010 due to a massive landslide at Hunza’s Attabad village, which destroyed a 14-kilometer stretch of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), killing at least 20 people and displacing 6,000.
Following restoration work by the Gilgit-Baltistan government, the Northern Areas Transportation Company (NACTO), a Pakistani government-owned enterprise, teamed up with Xinjiang-Kashgar Xin Lu Transportation Co. Ltd., a Chinese partner, to reinstate the bus service between Gilgit and Kashgar.
“After 14 years, the bus service officially resumed on Tuesday,” NACTO’s managing director, Aziz Ahmed Jamali, informed in a report. “The route will operate twice weekly, with a fare of Rs18,000 ($64.69) per passenger.”
Jamali noted that the bus service will accommodate up to 320 passengers monthly. He added that Natco, which has served Gilgit-Baltistan since 1974, transports around 500,000 passengers annually and operates on 40 routes, both domestic and international.
Per the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), 96% of trade between Pakistan and China comprises Chinese exports to Pakistan, with Pakistan’s exports making up only 4%. Key imports from China include electronics, footwear, clothing, and spare parts, while Pakistan mainly exports gemstones, dry fruits, medicinal herbs, and garments.
Jamali stated that direct travel between Gilgit and Kashgar would provide traders with significant time savings and boost economic prospects.
Iman Shah, special assistant to the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan on information, expressed optimism over the bus service’s resumption. “This will enhance connectivity between the two regions,” he further stated. Shah, who once traveled the route himself in the early 2000s, highlighted the potential benefits of modernized buses.
Recent attacks targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing in northwestern Pakistan that killed six Chinese engineers and a blast near Karachi airport that took the lives of two Chinese citizens, have raised security concerns. Shah emphasized that travelers would feel safer with Natco, given its semi-government status.
Locals expressed hope that the resumed bus service would create more opportunities, especially for traders. Muhammad Iqbal, a businessman who had frequently used Natco’s buses before 2010, described the development as a positive sign for both countries. “Hundreds of locals are involved in trade and tourism in GB. This will open new doors for connectivity and economic growth,” he said.
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