Pakistan Customs collected a record Rs15 billion in revenue on imports from China through the Khunjerab Pass during fiscal year 2025-26, surpassing all previous years, while exports to China and Central Asian countries through the crossing reached Rs2.8 billion.
Wajid Ali, Pakistan Customs Collector for Gilgit-Baltistan, said Rs14.93 billion was collected in import revenue at the Sost Dry Port during FY26, up from Rs13.67 billion in FY25.
He said exports from Pakistan to China and Central Asian countries under the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) system also rose during the year, with goods worth Rs2.8 billion shipped out via the Khunjerab Pass. These exports included surgical instruments, artificial beads, brass decorations, garments, rice, cotton printed sheets, leather jackets, carpets, pinnets, potatoes, oranges, milk cream, baskets, motorcycle parts, juice machines and handicrafts.
Wajid Ali said trade activity through the pass remained brisk, with inspection of Chinese imports stepped up. He added that smuggling of illegal and contraband items from China had been curbed through a joint mechanism run by Pakistan Customs and the Facilitation Mechanism team.
Ghulam Muhammad, a customs clearing agent at the Sost Dry Port, said exports of Pakistani goods to China and Central Asian markets had grown, with local products such as cherries, gemstones and handicrafts fetching higher prices internationally.
However, local traders reported difficulties exporting to China, citing restrictions and procedural hurdles imposed by Chinese immigration authorities. They called on Pakistani officials to raise the issue with their Chinese counterparts and push for relaxed restrictions on Pakistani shipments.
Smuggled Goods Seized
Separately, Pakistan Customs and the Facilitation Mechanism team recovered smuggled and contraband goods worth billions of rupees in a series of operations, while items worth Rs72.9 million were auctioned at the Sost Dry Port.
Mohib Khan, deputy collector of Pakistan Customs at Sost Port, said Import Policy 2022 had been enforced at the port in full for the first time, resulting in the confiscation of restricted items.
Last month, intelligence-based operations foiled two major attempts to smuggle smartphones, Chinese wine and pork meat into Pakistan through the Khunjerab Pass. The seized goods and a confiscated vehicle from the two operations were valued at around Rs158 million, including 317 smartphones, 3,500 bottles of Chinese wine and 1,500 kilograms of pork meat found in an imported consignment at the Sost Dry Port.