Pakistan, China Open Sost-Khunjerab Green Channel
Pakistan, China open the Sost-Khunjerab green channel for agricultural trade, after the customs administrations of the two countries signed an agreement at an online ceremony on Thursday, 29 October 2026. The ceremony was held at the Federal Board of Revenue headquarters in Islamabad.
Under the agreement, an agreed list of agricultural and allied products will receive priority processing and examination at the Sost-Khunjerab border crossing. Customs officers will still apply risk-based controls, but eligible consignments will move faster. The two sides will also share more information and exchange risk alerts to improve coordination and manage cross-border trade.
Perishable goods will receive special attention. Fruits, vegetables and similar products spoil quickly, so the agreement aims to cut waiting times and move them across the border on time. For traders, the difference between a delay of hours and a delay of days can decide whether a shipment arrives fresh or loses its value.
Sost-Khunjerab green channel: who signed the deal
Pakistan’s delegation was led by Syed Shakeel Shah, Member Customs (Operations) at the Federal Board of Revenue. It also included the Chief Collector of Customs, Peshawar, the Collector of Customs, Gilgit-Baltistan, and representatives of the Department of Plant Protection, the National Agri Trade and Food Safety Authority, Pakistan Single Window and the Ministry of Commerce. The commercial counsellor at Pakistan’s embassy in China also took part.
China’s delegation was headed by Li Qinghua, deputy head of Urumqi Customs and director of Tashkurgan Customs. The agreement was signed between the two customs administrations, not between heads of government, which reflects its practical nature. It is a working arrangement for border officers, built around lists of products, processing priority and shared risk information.
The Khunjerab Pass links Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang region. At about 15,500 feet above sea level, it is the highest paved international border crossing in the world. Under a border protocol signed in 1985, the pass stays open for trade and travel from April to November. Heavy snowfall makes movement hard in winter, which gives the timing of this agreement a sharp edge. Signed in late October, the green channel arrives just weeks before the crossing closes for the season, so its first full test will come when the pass reopens in spring.
Why the crossing matters for farm trade
The crossing is already commercially significant. Pakistan Customs collected Rs15 billion in revenue on imports from China through the pass last year, a record. Goods worth Rs2.8 billion were also exported to China and Central Asian countries through the crossing in the same period.
The green channel builds on that traffic. By giving eligible farm goods priority examination, it should reduce clearance bottlenecks at Sost, the Pakistani town that serves the crossing. By sharing risk alerts, the two customs services can target inspections at shipments that raise flags, rather than slowing every consignment.
The move also fits a wider pattern in Pakistan’s trade facilitation work. Feature Pakistan covered a similar step for fruit exports in Pakistan sets five-year kinnow export roadmap, where a green channel, refrigerated freight and faster customs clearance were all proposed to help exporters. The Sost-Khunjerab agreement applies the same logic to the northern border, where geography makes delays costlier than at a seaport.
For growers and exporters in Gilgit-Baltistan and beyond, the test will be practical. A green channel works only if the agreed product list is wide enough, if priority processing holds up at peak times, and if both sides keep sharing information when problems arise. The agreement sets up all three. The next trading season will show whether it delivers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sost-Khunjerab green channel?
It is a customs arrangement that gives an agreed list of agricultural and allied products priority processing and examination at the Sost-Khunjerab border crossing between Pakistan and China.
Who signed the agreement?
Pakistan’s customs delegation was led by Syed Shakeel Shah, Member Customs (Operations), and China’s delegation was headed by Li Qinghua, deputy head of Urumqi Customs.
When is the Khunjerab Pass open?
Under a 1985 border protocol, the pass stays open for trade and travel from April to November. Heavy snowfall disrupts movement in winter.
