Khunjerab Pass
Khunjerab Pass is a mountain pass on the Karakoram Highway in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan bordering Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. It is a high-altitude mountain pass lying at an elevation of above sea level in the Karakoram. It holds a significant strategic position on the northern border of Pakistan, specifically in the Gilgit-Baltistan's Hunza and Nagar districts. Additionally, it is positioned on the southwestern border of China with Pakistan, in the Xinjiang region.
Near Khunjerab Pass, there is another pass known as, which stands at an elevation of and is located at approximately.
Etymology
The word "خنجراب" in the local Wakhi language means 'waterfall house'. It is derived from two words, "خون"-"Khun" means house and "جراب"-"Jerab" means a creek coming from a spring or a waterfall.Notability
The Khunjerab Pass holds several distinctions, including being the highest paved international border crossing globally and serving as the highest point along the Karakoram Highway. The construction of the road across this pass was completed in 1982, and it has since supplanted the previously unpaved Mintaka and Kilik passes as the principal route across the formidable Karakoram Range.The decision to use the Khunjerab Pass for the Karakoram Highway was made in 1966. China, citing the fact that Mintaka would be more susceptible to air strikes, recommended the steeper Khunjerab Pass instead.
On the Pakistani-administered side, the pass is from the National Park station and checkpoint in Dih, from the customs and immigration post in Sost, from Gilgit, and from Islamabad.
On the Chinese side, the pass is the southwest terminus of China National Highway 314 and is from Tashkurgan, from Kashgar and from Urumqi. The Chinese port of entry is located along the road from the pass in Tashkurgan County.
The long, relatively flat pass is often snow-covered during the winter season and as a consequence is generally closed for heavy vehicles from November 30 to May 1 and for all vehicles from December 30 to April 1. This is not set, however; late snowfall in the region attributed to climate change means the road is accessible even during the winter months. Depending on the amount of snowfall, the road is cleared from time periods ranging from days to weeks.
Since June 1, 2006, there has been a daily bus service across the boundary from Gilgit to Kashgar, Xinjiang.
This is one of the international borders where left-hand traffic changes to right-hand traffic and vice versa.