Pakistan delays border opening with China

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan announced Thursday that it is delaying the opening of a key border crossing with China following the coronavirus outbreak there.

The Khunjerab Pass in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan will be opened in April instead of February, state-run Radio Pakistan reported

Earlier during a weekly briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said the opening of the crossing point would now take place according to a routine plan.

The decision was taken as part of health safety measures, she added.

As per a 1985 agreement between Pakistan and China, the Khunjerab Pass is closed in November due to heavy snowfall and reopens in April.

But on Jan. 22, Pakistan asked the Chinese government to open the border for seven days from Feb. 2-8 to facilitate the entry of over 200 containers that were stuck on the border on the Chinese side due to the closing of the border in November last year.

On Thursday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi offered his country’s assistance to China in ongoing efforts to bring the coronavirus under control.

"For our part, we stand ready to extend every possible assistance to our Chinese brethren to help deal with the aftermath of the coronavirus," Qureshi said in a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.

He also thanked the Chinese government for extending the best possible assistance to Pakistani nationals in China.

"The government, people and leadership of Pakistan stand by the Chinese people and leadership in their valiant efforts to bring the coronavirus under control and support the measures taken by China in that regard," Qureshi said.