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.

Pakistani filmmaker Fahad Kahut has used a Chilasi version of Gilgiti Cap to depict terrorists of Army Public School  (APS) Peshawar Attack in his new short film released on Youtube.

There has been a backlash on social media by activists from Gilgit-Baltistan against the filmmaker for using the Gilgit traditional cap to depict the terrorists involved in the 2014 Peshawar school massacre.

The director, producer and writer, who describes himself to be “focused on creating narrative films ” has primarily worked on Kashmir issue and published various pro-army publications including an article titled “General Raheel Sharif – A Man living up to the vision of Allama Iqbal”.

“I was also surprised to see this cap. One must take into consideration while using a cultural symbol of any people. The filmmakers have no right to use our caps as something a symbol of terrorism. Shame” said a Twitter user Noor Akbar.

Also read: Three policemen martyred, two terrorists killed in attack on Kargah Nullah check post in Gilgit

“What is your motive behind showing this cultural cap as a symbol of terror – there can be lot of other ways to depict a terrorist why you choose this cap which can not be easily found in any market in down countries except in Gilgit?Shame on everyone who contributed in this video and those who did not censor it. People like you are born to divide the country by showing intolerance and disrespect towards other cultures. Shame on you for using the cultural cap of Gilgit-Baltistan!” adds a Youtube user while commenting under the short film.

However, there are some who think this could have been a mistake. 

Facebook user Shahid Khan comments that maybe the filmmaker wanted to use the famous Pakol or Peshawari hat which has been associated with the Taliban for so many decades.

At the same time, as correctly pointed out by a Youtube user, the Gilgiti Cap, specifically the Chilasi (Diamer) version is very hard to find in the market.

Only the people behind the short film can tell what exactly went behind using the specific cap to depict the terrorists.

Kahut’s short-film Faryad had won IndieFEST Film Awards for short movie on Kashmir in 2016.

Update:

Fahad Kahut has spoken and says it was “merely out of sheer ignorance”.

“have apologized in past and I apologize again, this was merely out sheer ignorance and my lack of understanding of cultural norms back then. I am a huge admirer of GB people and can never imagine to disrespect them. I hope my apologies are accepted.” he commented on Twitter.

Note: The wood color Gilgit cap is not only used in Diamer but also in the districts of Astore, Gilgit, Ghizer and even Kohistan. A black color version of the traditional cap is widely used in Diamer.