Nearly 400 passengers traveling between Gilgit and Rawalpindi have been stranded in Kohistan following a landslide that blocked Karakoram Highway (KKH). A landslide has blocked currently the only land access route between Gilgit and Rawalpindi near Sumar Nulla in Kohistan’s Dasu region. Passengers traveling on the route have been stranded for nearly 12 hours now.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have made arrangements for the safety and security of the passengers in the harsh cold weather. Meanwhile, Kohistan district administration has asked for a bulldozer and other necessary machinery to open the route for traffic.

The district administration has said that the landslide area will be cleared for traffic before Tuesday evening so that the passengers on both sides could proceed to their destinations.

The stranded passengers include women and children as well. Luckily, there are small hotels and shops nearby that will offer some relief of basic necessities in the hard times.

The northern region of Pakistan is facing an on-going spell of heavy snowfall. Karakoram Highway is prone to landslides during rainfall and snowfall. Lack of even the most basic facilities put passengers in a very difficult position in such times.

The two other routes that connect Gilgit to Rawalpindi, i.e. Shandur Pass and Babusar Pass, remain closed during winters due to heavy snowfall.

Every day when we wake up, we struggle hard to make a name for ourselves, our families and our country. We see a handful of names in the limelight while hundreds and thousands of names remain in an obscurity no matter how big or small that person’s contribution to the society is.

At GBee, we believe that a society cannot prosper without the small yet meaningful contributions of its members.

This is why, we are announcing the launch of an on-going campaign which we are now officially calling #GBCProspers. This campaign aims to celebrate the contributions, small and big, by the common citizens that collectively reflect in the social, cultural, religious, musical and economic prosperity of the mountain communities.

How to access the stories?

The stories published under #GBCProspers campaign can be found on a dedicated topic section. Each story will also be published in its relevant district page on Facebook and GBee’s Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Alternatively, you can search for the hashtag #GBCProspers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get the latest as well as the stories published in the past.

How to submit a story?

Stories can be submitted at our email editor[at]gbee.pk with #GBCProspers in the subject, on our WhatsApp number +923555075849 or directly at your relevant district page on Facebook.