GILGIT-Skardu road, officially called S-1, is maintained by the National Highway Authority. Accidents on this highway have become a daily routine due to the poor condition of the road. The 270-kilometre-long road, passing through the towering Karakoram mountain range, is narrow and dilapidated, causing problems for travellers.

It goes along the River Indus. It’s an all-weather road. At most places it is only wide enough for one vehicle, and at many places bordered by a drop of hundreds of metres, unprotected by guard rails. The travel time is around eight hours. The road can be blocked for weeks at a time depending on conditions (though two to five days is more normal). The rate of accidents on Gilgit-Skardu Road is high as compared with the rest of Gilgit-Baltistan. The NHA and the federal government have not done enough to make journeys on the route smooth and safe.

Abid Hussain Anchan

Skardu

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2016