Kashgar, Xinjiang
The Chinese gateway for road cargo to Pakistan; NLC lists a TIR logistics hub here and at Tashkurgan.
South Asia · truck from Kashgar
Truck from Kashgar to Islamabad via Khunjerab Pass / Sost
Kashgar to Islamabad
Kashgar · Tashkurgan · Khunjerab Pass · Sost · Gilgit · Islamabad
- KashgarChina origin
- Tashkurgan
- Khunjerab PassBorder crossing
- SostBorder crossing
- Gilgit
- IslamabadDestination
For the first time the highest paved border crossing in the world is meant to stay open through winter, and in 2025 the first summer under that arrangement brought a flood that cut the Karakoram Highway and a 68-day sit-in that blocked the Sost dry port. A lithium shipment on this road is exposed to weather and to politics.
Five points for the Khunjerab corridor follow. Acceptance of lithium batteries is screened case by case and depends on the haulier and on Chinese and Pakistani acceptance.
What we need to start
- Seasonal route status
- Pakistani consignee and customs agent
- Haulier vehicle and driver nationality
- Class 9 declaration
- Buffer for stoppages
Route profile
How Kashgar → Islamabad differs from other lanes
Tashkurgan – Khunjerab Pass – Sost – Gilgit – Islamabad
The Karakoram Highway: one mountain pass, one dry port on the Pakistani side, then a long road south.
Where this route gets difficult
What to watch between Kashgar and Islamabad: 5 points
They run from the Chinese origin station to the border, through the transit countries and to the consignee.
- Pass
Winter opening is new, and the pass sits at 15,500 feet
Under a 1985 agreement the Khunjerab Pass had been open only from 1 April to 30 November because of heavy snow; in December 2024 the two governments agreed to open it year-round, and a virtual ceremony in April 2025 marked the change.1 Dawn describes it as the highest paved international border in the world at 15,500 feet.1 Year-round status is a treaty position; the weather on any given day is not.
What Anxin does: We check the pass and highway status at booking and again before the truck leaves Kashgar, and we do not promise a date.
- Dry port
A 68-day sit-in showed how Sost can stop
In July 2025 traders in Gilgit-Baltistan blocked the Sost dry port, halting all trade and travel between Pakistan and China.2 The protest ended after 68 days, in late September 2025, after an agreement with the federal government; one of the traders' demands was clearance of consignments stuck at the dry port.3 Consignments that were already inside the port were part of the dispute.
What Anxin does: We ask the Pakistani agent for the current status of Sost and keep the consignee's contact on the file so a stoppage can be reported quickly.
- Road
Glacial flooding has cut the Karakoram Highway
In mid-August 2025 a glacial lake outburst flood swept away part of the Karakoram Highway at Gulmit in Gojal, Hunza, after accelerated glacier melt, stranding hundreds of travellers.4 A single washed-out section can hold a loaded truck for as long as it takes to rebuild or bypass it.
What Anxin does: We ask for written insurance terms that name road closure and delay cover, and we ask whether the cargo can be held safely at Sost or Gilgit.
- Vehicles
Whose truck and driver crosses is an operational question
NLC, a Pakistani logistics organisation, says it has IRU-accredited TIR logistics hubs at Kashgar and Tashkurgan and that it employs Chinese vehicles and drivers where Pakistani vehicles and drivers face operational limitations.5 For a lithium load that means two possible carriers on one route and two sets of acceptance conditions.
What Anxin does: We ask each haulier for its class 9 acceptance, the vehicle type and who is responsible for the load at the handover point.
- Legal regime
ADR does not apply in Pakistan
Pakistan is not an ADR contracting party,6 so European road dangerous-goods rules do not apply by treaty on the Pakistani side. Class 9 packaging, marking and documents are still prepared to the UN model rules, but whether a Pakistani haulier accepts a given battery load is its own decision.
What Anxin does: We ask the Pakistani haulier for written acceptance of the UN number and package type before the Chinese side loads.
Documents & compliance
Documents to line up for Kashgar → Islamabad
These documents come from the shipper, the manufacturer, the operators and the consignee. Anxin checks them against each other; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.
Before leaving Kashgar
- UN 38.3 summary, SDS, Wh ratings
- Vehicle and driver details for the Khunjerab crossing
- Seal numbers and packing photos
At the pass and Sost
- Pakistani customs agent and consignee
- Current status of Sost dry port
- Who holds the cargo if the road closes
On the road south
- Gilgit–Islamabad haulier and acceptance
- Insurance terms for closure and delay
- Warehouse hours at Islamabad
Risk & mitigation
What could go wrong between Kashgar and Islamabad, and who acts
| Risk | Where | Mitigation | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highway section washed out by flood | Karakoram Highway, Hunza | Insurance terms; holding point named | Insurer / haulier |
| Dry port blocked by protest | Sost | Status checked; consignee reachable | Pakistani agent |
| Pass closed by weather | Khunjerab | Departure decision made at Kashgar on current status | Haulier |
| Haulier refuses class 9 load | Pakistan | Written acceptance requested early | Pakistani haulier |
By sea instead
Compare with sea freight from China
Nine Chinese ports, one hub
Sea freight leaves from Shenzhen, Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Dalian and Lianyungang. See all sea routes from China. The sea route pages also cover Shenzhen to Pakistan.
Each mode accepts lithium batteries on its own terms
Rail, road and sea operators apply different acceptance rules, and a shipment that is refused on one mode can sometimes be planned on another. We screen the cargo first and name the mode afterwards.
References
Where these points come from
- Khunjerab Pass opens for year-round trade and travel (Dawn, 23 April 2025)
- Khunjerab route shut due to Sost protests (Dawn, 29 July 2025)
- Trade, travel via Khunjerab Pass resume after over two months (Dawn, 29 September 2025)
- Another flood severs Karakoram Highway; Sutlej banks being evacuated (Dawn, 14 August 2025)
- Bridging Nations, Driving Prosperity: NLC's role in promoting trade and connectivity between Pakistan and China (Pakistan Observer)
- Status of ADR – United Nations Treaty Collection, chapter XI-B-14 (United Nations Treaty Collection)
Next step
Ask about Kashgar → Islamabad (Pakistan)
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After you send it
We check operator and country acceptance for Kashgar → Islamabad before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.
Pakistan overview · All rail & road routes · Sea routes from China
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