Travelers stranded as landslides block Karakoram Highway

GILGIT: Travelers faced significant challenges on Saturday as the Karakoram Highway, the vital route linking Gilgit-Baltistan with the rest of Pakistan, was blocked at two separate locations due to heavy landslides.

According to a statement from the Diamer Police, the highway was obstructed at Tatapani near Raikot Bridge and Moladad Pari near Gonar Farm. The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) teams have begun road clearance operations at the affected locations. However, the statement noted that the clearance efforts would take several days to complete.

The police have urged travelers and transporters to refrain from traveling until the road is cleared. Due to the road being blocked at multiple points, long queues of passenger and freight vehicles traveling from Rawalpindi to Gilgit have formed at Gonar Farm.

It is pertinent to mention that in June 2022, the then GB Chief Minister, Khalid Khurshid Khan, inaugurated the construction of an alternative route opposite the highly vulnerable Tatapani section of the KKH to avoid frequent blockades caused by landslides.

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The Rs. 55 million project was expected to be completed by December 2022. However, work on the 10.5-kilometer alternative route was suspended for unknown reasons after millions of rupees had already been spent.

Meanwhile, in Harban, Kohistan, locals blocked the Karakoram Highway for the second consecutive day in protest over the non-payment of land compensation for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project. The protesters have closed the road to all traffic indefinitely, causing significant disruptions to travel. The community is demanding immediate payment of compensation to resolve their issues and restore the flow of traffic on the highway.

In response, a spokesperson for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project clarified that the perception regarding delays or obstacles caused by WAPDA in compensating for the required lands in Harban Bhasha is incorrect. According to the spokesperson, a detailed discussion regarding this matter took place on November 8 at the Commissioner Hazara Division’s office with local elders and representatives from Harban Bhasha.

The spokesperson further stated that the meeting was attended by WAPDA’s General Manager for Land Acquisition and Resettlement as well as the General Manager of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project. During the session, mutual consensus and agreement were reached with the elders on the payment of compensations and other related issues, and an action plan was formulated accordingly.

The spokesperson added that local individuals from the project area have previously been prioritized for employment opportunities with contractors and consultant companies working on the project, and this policy would continue in the future. He urged the public to refrain from spreading negative propaganda on social media regarding this matter.