• Chinese border police flag-guard contingent raises five-starred red flag amid cold winds and falling temperatures
• Pakistani traders, students and other citizens in Xinjiang also join the festivities

GILGIT: The 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China was celebrated at Khunjerab Top, the highest border crossing between Pakistan and China, amid a temporary suspension of trade and travel through the Khunjerab Pass from October 1 to October 5 in connection with China’s National Day holiday.

A flag-raising ceremony was held on the Chinese side of Khunjerab Top, near the border-crossing gate between Pakistan and China’s Xinjiang province, to mark the anniversary.

China’s National Day holiday is officially obs­erved from Oct 1 to Oct 7.

Khunjerab Pass is one of the world’s highest international border crossings. Thou­sands of people from different parts of China, along with officials from Xinjiang province, gathered at Khunjerab Top to witness the flag-raising ceremony. Despite falling temperatures and cold winds, participants wat­ched the five-starred red flag being raised by a Chinese border police flag-guard contingent.

They also raised slogans wishing prosperity for their motherland. The celebration at the Pakistani entry point of the Kara­koram Highway (KKH) — the highest paved international road in the world — offered a symbolic display of the enduring relationship between the two neigh­bouring countries and their people.

Zhang Heqing, a retired cultural counsellor of China, said, “The flag rises at Khunjerab, 5,100 metres in the sky — a border line, but a bond of hearts. China-Pak Dosti Zindabad!”

Thousands of GB residents, Pakistani and Chi­nese nationals, and foreign tourists travel bet­ween the two countries through the Khunjerab Pass.

Deputy Collector of Pakistan Customs at Sost Dry Port Attaullah Nasar told Dawn that the Khunjerab Pass would remain temporarily closed in connection with China’s National Day holiday from October 1 to October 5. He said trade and travel between the two countries through the pass would resume on Monday.

National Day celebrations

Meanwhile, a large number of Pakistani citizens in China, particularly those from Gilgit-Baltistan, joined National Day celebrations in various parts of Xinjiang province.

Rashid Ali, a resident of GB who is currently in Xinjiang, told Dawn that a large number of Pakistanis, mostly associated with border trade and students, joined the Chinese Nati­onal Day celebrations to express their happiness and enjoy the festivities.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2026