Pakistan, April 24 -- Pakistan has operationalised a new trade route connecting Central Asian states to its southern ports via China, an official statement said on Thursday, as the country received the first shipment of goods from Kyrgyzstan, a development that positions it as a regional transit hub while bypassing neighboring Afghanistan.

The development comes as ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan remain strained, with repeated border skirmishes and security concerns disrupting traditional transit routes. Landlocked Central Asian states have long depended on access through neighboring countries, but Islamabad is now offering an alternative corridor through the Khunjerab Pass and Sost dry port. "Under the new route, Kyrgyzstan, Tajiki...