Pakistan and China have sealed a green channel arrangement for the Sost-Khunjerab crossing so farm produce and related cargo can move with less waiting. The two customs services completed the signing online on Thursday at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the venue named for the ceremony.
The step is meant to ease two-way trade in agricultural goods along Pakistan’s northern land link with China. Officials framed it as a practical customs measure rather than a change to who may trade, focusing on how qualifying loads are processed at the frontier.
Who signed, and who attended
Syed Shakeel Shah, Member Customs (Operations) in Pakistan Customs, headed the Pakistani team. Li Qinghua, deputy head of Urumqi Customs and director of Tashkurgan Customs, headed the Chinese side.
Pakistan’s group also included the chief collector of customs in Peshawar and the collector of customs for Gilgit-Baltistan. Staff from the Department of Plant Protection, NAFSA, Pakistan Single Window, and a federal ministry also took part, according to the account of the ceremony.
What the green channel covers
Under the pact, consignments that sit on a shared list of agricultural items are to get faster processing and inspection. Controls based on risk assessment are to stay in force, so priority does not mean unchecked passage.
Loads that spoil quickly are also to be handled ahead of ordinary queues. The aim, officials indicated, is to cut idle time at the border and keep such cargo moving while it is still saleable.
The two customs administrations also intend to share more operational information and pass risk alerts to each other. That coordination is meant to tighten how they manage trade across the same mountain crossing.
What comes next at the border
Putting the channel into day-to-day use will depend on the agreed product list and on how both posts apply priority lanes in practice. Traders using Sost on the Pakistani side and the linked Chinese post will need clear guidance on which goods qualify and how risk screening still applies.
For now, the concrete news is the signature itself: a formal green channel commitment between the two customs services for agricultural and related goods at Sost-Khunjerab, completed online at the FBR on Thursday.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan aur China ne Sost-Khunjerab border par green channel ka agreement sign kar liya hai. Yeh facility kheti aur us se linked saman ke liye hai taake clearance tez ho. Jo maal jaldi kharab hota hai, usay pehle handle karne ka irada hai. Border se trade karne walon ke liye delay kam hone ki umeed hai, jabke risk ke hisaab se checks jari rahengi.
