Stuck in transit: No traffic plying KKH for seventh consecutive day

With constant flight cancellations, travellers remain stranded on either side.

GILGIT:

Traffic on Karakoram Highway (KKH) remained suspended for the seventh consecutive day on Wednesday as security concerns continue to haunt Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governments.

“The decision to suspend traffic has been made for the security of passengers, as the K-P government has not been able to give us clearance,” said G-B Minister for Information, Sadia Danish on Wednesday. “Under the given circumstances, we cannot entirely rule out the possibility of violence on the KKH.”



The closure has left passengers travelling between G-B and Rawalpindi stranded, as Diamer Valley and parts of Kohistan district witnessed protests during the past week. The protests erupted over violence in Rawalpindi on Ashura which claimed around 10 lives.

After back-to-back incidents on the KKH last year, the governments of G-B and K-P devised a close contact strategy with each other to ensure the safety of travellers.

“The current decision is also part of the same strategy,” senior police official Ali Sher told The Express Tribune. According to officials, there are many points on the 600 kilometre-long KKH where the K-P government cannot provide adequate security for buses.

While the ground route is suspended, bad weather has also forced Pakistan International Airlines flights to be cancelled in the region. As a result, passengers planning to travel to Rawalpindi or G-B, including students and patients, have been stuck on either side.

“I was not at all prepared for being stuck in Rawalpindi for one extra week. I have exhausted my budget and can’t afford to live here any longer,” said Imtiaz, a resident of G-B in Rawalpindi.

The strategic KKH is the only route after Babusar Road which connects G-B with the rest of the country. Babusar Road, however, remains blocked every year from November till March due to snowfall.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2013.