Pakistan is weighing a phased plan to restore visa-on-arrival access for Chinese tourists entering Gilgit-Baltistan through the Khunjerab Pass, starting with a pilot programme limited to Hunza and Nagar districts, according to officials who discussed the proposal at a high-level government meeting.
The plan was reviewed on September 15 at a session titled “Restoration of Visa Facility on Arrival at Sost for Chinese Tourists,” held at the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) Secretariat in the Prime Minister’s Office and chaired by the SIFC’s joint secretary for SW-B.
Participants included representatives from the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) home and tourism departments, the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, the ministries of inter-provincial coordination, interior and foreign affairs, the Pakistan Association of Tour Operators, and Green Tourism Pakistan Limited.
Meeting minutes show the foreign affairs ministry raised no objection in principle, provided the plan clears security screening. The interior ministry noted that visa-on-arrival facilities had been suspended for all countries following a security-driven policy change, and said reinstating the option for Chinese nationals would require approval at the same senior level.
Representatives of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) told the meeting that expanding Chinese tourist access could increase foreign exchange earnings, generate jobs and boost local economies at a time when Pakistan is trying to attract more foreign investment.
GB officials and stakeholders supported a trial arrangement, saying the region’s tourism-dependent economy had suffered from a decline in visitor numbers linked to broader global instability. They cited Hunza-Nagar’s existing tourism infrastructure and said no major security threat had been identified along the proposed route, adding that the GB government was prepared to arrange security for tourists.
Raja Nazimul Amin, adviser to the president on international trade and tourism investment at the FPCCI, told Dawn that stakeholders had agreed in principle to a phased rollout of visa-on-arrival access for Chinese tourists via the Khunjerab Pass.
He said the first phase would cover Hunza and Nagar, with an extension to the rest of Gilgit-Baltistan considered in a second phase if the trial succeeds. Amin said the initiative could generate billions of dollars in economic activity and that recommendations would be sent to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for approval, which he expects to be granted.
Separately, the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination proposed streamlining the visa process through a single online portal for no-objection certificates (NOCs). The GB Home Department, which currently issues NOCs through a multi-step police clearance process, agreed to explore a one-window system at Sost.
The SIFC has asked the GB government to submit a detailed proposal, which will then go to the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination before requiring concurrence from the interior and foreign ministries and final approval from higher authorities.
