Gumal Pass

or Gomal Pass

Mountain pass, southern North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan.

Lying along the Gumal River valley in the Sulaiman Range, it is the most important pass between the Khyber and Bolan passes, and connects Ghazni in eastern Afghanistan with Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan. Actually a 4-mi (6-km) gorge, it is the oldest trade route in the area, traditionally used by nomadic Afghan traders called Powindahs, whose entry into Pakistan is now restricted.

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▪ pass, Pakistan

also spelled  Gomal Pass,  

      route along the Gumal River valley in the extreme southwestern portion of North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. The most important pass between the Khyber and Bolān passes, it connects Ghaznī in eastern Afghanistan with Tānk and Dera Ismāīl Khān in Pakistan via Domandi and Kot Murtaza. Actually a 4-mile (6-kilometre) defile (gorge), the name is sometimes applied to the full course of the Gumal River. The oldest trade route in the area, the Gumal Pass has been traditionally used by nomadic Afghan traders called Powindahs, whose entry into Pakistan is now restricted. By treaty agreement with the Maḥsūd Wazīrī inhabitants, the British succeeded in opening the pass in 1889.

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