The highway was closed for traffic after Frontier Works Organisation started work on two bridges in the area. PHOTO: FILE
Much to the ordeal of passengers, the Karakoram Highway (KKH) was officially blocked for traffic for five days on Monday.
The 600-kilometre highway connecting Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) to the rest of the country, was closed for maintenance of bridges between Sholgran and Dubair areas.
“The highway will reopen on March 1 (Friday). But till then, traffic will remain suspended,” said a notification issued by the regional government.
With the KKH closed for almost a week and flight schedules uncertain, passengers travelling between G-B and Rawalpindi are facing helplessness.
Owing to inclement weather, they can neither travel by air nor take the Babusar Highway that remains blocked due to snowfall. “I am in utter shock,” said Tufail, who was planning to return to Gilgit from Rawalpindi before March. “What travel option do we have other than travelling by KKH?” he said.
“Aside from the high fare, a seat confirmation in Pakistan International Airlines is a nuisance as the ATR plane can accommodate a few passengers only. In addition,flights to G-B are not regular, bad weather being one of the factors,” he added.
Meanwhile, Northern Areas Transport Corporation, a government-sponsored transport company, also suspended service on Monday. “Following the announcement, we have suspended our service till Friday,” said Ehsan Shah, a spokesman of the corporation.
“God forbid what will we do in case of a health emergency,” said Mohammad Aslam. Under normal circumstances, locals would go to Islamabad by KKH but they cannot do so for the time being. And unfortunately hospitals in Gilgit lack proper facilities.
On Sunday, inclement weather resulted in cancellation of flights to Gilgit. Following an attack on Shiite passengers on the Babusar road last year, the government banned public transport on the highway. However, the road remains blocked in winters due to heavy snowfall on the top.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2013.
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Do we still have to go to Rawalpindi to book a seat for Gilgit,i thought its closed longbefore.
The PIA Rawalpindi staff is one of most corrupt people I have ever seen. Bookings are on sale for 1000 rupees each while deserving passengers spend weeks waiting for a reservation