| Khunjerab Pass | |
|---|---|
Khunjerab Pass viewed from the Kashmiri side |
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| Elevation | 4,693 m (15,397 ft) |
| Location | |
| Location | China / Pakistan |
| Range | Karakoram Range |
| Khunjerab Pass | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 紅其拉甫山口 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 红其拉甫山口 | ||||||
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| Hindustani name | |||||||
| Hindustani | खुंजर्ब दर्रा نجرا ب درّه khun̄jar-ab darrā | ||||||
| Urdu name | |||||||
| Urdu | درّہ خنجراب | ||||||
Khunjerab Pass (elevation 4,693 metres or 15,397 feet) is a high mountain pass in the Karakoram Mountains in a strategic position on the northern border of Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region within the disputed region of Kashmir and on the southwest border of the Xinjiang region of China. Its name is derived from Wakhi for Blood Valley.[1]
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The Khunjerab Pass is the highest paved international border crossing in the world and the highest point on the Karakoram Highway. The roadway across the pass was completed in 1982, and has superseded the unpaved Mintaka and Kilik Passes as the primary passage across the Karakoram Range.
On the Pakistani side, the pass is 42 km (26 mi) from the National Park station and checkpoint in Dih, 75 km (47 mi) from the customs and immigration post in Sost, 270 km (170 mi) from Gilgit, and 870 km (540 mi) from Islamabad.
On the Chinese side, the pass is 130 km (81 mi) from Tashkurgan, 420 km (260 mi) from Kashgar and some 1,890 km (1,170 mi) from Urumqi. The Chinese port of entry is located 3.5 km (2.2 mi) 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 from November 30 to May 1. There is excellent grazing on the Chinese side of the pass, and domesticated yaks and dzu (a cross between yaks and cows) may be seen from the road.
Since June 1, 2006, there has been a daily bus service across the boundary from Gilgit, to Kashghar, China[2]
In 2007, consultants [3] were engaged to investigate the construction of a railway through this pass to connect China with transport in Pakistani-administered northern areas of Kashmir. A feasibility study started in November 2009 for a line connecting Havelian 750 km (466 mi) away in Pakistan and Kashgar 350 km (217 mi) in China.[4]