ISLAMABAD: After three years of closure, trade and travel facilities between China and Pakistan will resume from Monday, with the opening of the Khanjrab Bypass tomorrow.
According to Express News, the authorities of China and Pakistan have completed all the arrangements to reopen the Khunjarab Pass Corridor for the resumption of CPEC activities and bilateral trade, after which the CPEC projects and bilateral trade will once again accelerate.
Under an agreement, the two countries carry out trade and transit activities throughout the year from April 1 to November 30 through the Khunjarab Pass. Under the agreement, a daily bus departs from the Sust Valley border point of Gilgit-Baltistan to China’s Xinjiang region.
Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework, this arrangement was going on very well since November 2016, but in November 2019, it was closed for corridor and trade and travel arrangements.
The reason for this shutdown was the Corona epidemic. Thousands of people became jobless due to this shutdown. According to an estimate, 70 percent of the local population depends for their livelihood on trade and transportation activities through the Khunjarab Pass.
