Sust

Sust or Sost (Urdu: سوست) is a village located in the Gojal, Upper Hunza in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan.^[1] Situated at an elevation of 2,800 meters above sea level, Sost is the last Pakistani town on the Karakoram Highway before the Chinese border.

For the university in Bangladesh, see Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.

Sost سوست
Village
The town of Sost
Sost Show map of Gilgit Baltistan Sost Show map of Pakistan Sost Show map of Hindu-Kush Sost Show map of West and Central Asia
Coordinates: 36.69°N 74.821°E / 36.69; 74.821
Country	Pakistan
Autonomous state	Gilgit-Baltistan
Division	Gilgit
District	Hunza
Sub-division	Gojal Tehsil
Elevation	2,800 m (9,200 ft)
Area code	05813-9

History

The Khunjerab Pass between Pakistan and China for tourism and limited trade in the 1980s.^[2] With the creation of the the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in 2016, Sost took on a more central role in a $46 billion effort to boost trade for Pakistan by broadening its range of potential partners through the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.^[3]

Given Sost's status as a transportation hub, it plays an important role regarding both passengers and cargo crossing the Pakistan-China border. Branches of the Pakistan immigration and customs departments are correspondingly based in Sost. Sost is also home to a Serena Hotel.

The Silk Route Dry Port commenced its business operations at the port in Sost, Upper Hunza, near the Khunjerab Pass in Gilgit-Baltistan. The annual trade volume between these two countries has seen a significant increase, rising from less than Rs2 billion in 2002 to Rs6.9 billion. Sost Dry Port reportedly collected more than Rs9.5 billion in 2024.

Sost Dry Por is the first formal port at the China-Pakistan border. It serves as a critical hub for customs clearance and other necessary formalities for goods moving from the city of Kashgar and the surrounding Xinjiang autonomous region in China to various commercial centers in Pakistan.

Demography

The Main languages spoken here are Wakhi and Burushaski.

Transport

The Sost Dry Port is connected by the Karakoram Highway to Gulmit, Aliabad, Gilgit and Chilas to the south and to the Chinese cities of Tashkurgan, Upal and Kashgar in the north. The Northern Areas Transport Corporation offers passenger road service between Islamabad, Gilgit and Sost.^[4] Passenger road service between Tashkurgan and Sost also exists.^[4] Road service between Kashgar and Gilgit (via Tashkurgan and Sost) started in summer 2006.^[5] The border crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjerab Pass (the highest border in the world) is open year-round.^[6] Because of its harsh weather and high altitude, it had previously only been open only between April 1 and November 30. However, in 2024 an agreement was signed between the governments of the two countries committing to keep the pass open year-round.^[6]

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  Overview of the Karakoram Highway
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  A mileage sign in Sost.
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  Distances to Sost, Islamabad, and Gilgit.
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  Sost Dry Port
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  Sost Dry Port loading dock