Asian Highway AH66 runs through the pass, which provides for the only modern day overland border crossing along the 450 km boundary between the two nations.

The pass was closed for many years due to political tensions between the Soviet Union and China, and then the Tajikistani Civil War.

The opening of the pass reduced cargo travel time between the two countries by ten to fifteen days, obviating lengthy detours into Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

In the first three months after the pass opened, an official tally by the Tajik Ministry of Traffic and Roads counted legal crossings of just 17 trucks, 10 buses, 240 tons of cargo, and 171 people over a three-month period.

Commonly traded goods include automobiles, construction materials, machinery, electronics, furniture, eggs, and rice.