The border, connecting Gilgit Baltistan to China’s autonomous region of Xinjiang, serves as the highest paved international border, linking both countries.

It remains closed from November to March due to extreme cold weather conditions. But it was temporarily opened this week to facilitate trade.

Last year, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar announced that the Khunjerab Pass would be converted to an all-weather border. But the decision was not materialised.

The two countries collaborate on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with more than $65 billion pledged for road, rail, and other infrastructure developments in the South Asian nation.