TRAVELLING to Rawalpindi from Skardu by road has now become perhaps the world’s most torturous journey owing to the apathy of the Gilgit-Baltistan government.

The commuters face a lot of hardships because of poor bus conditions, broken roads and the time of departure from Skardu and Rawalpindi.

The buses depart from Skardu at 4pm and reach the Jaglot area at 11pm where passengers along with their children, old people and women have to stay inside the buses or on their roofs till 6 next morning in extremely harsh weather because the hotels there lack proper washrooms, bedrooms and the sitting area.

All these hardships have been created by the GB government in the name of security. If there are any security concerns, the departure time from Skardu should be changed from 4pm to 9pm. This way the buses will reach Joglot early in the morning and will not need to stay there and can continue journey to Rawalpindi.

Zamin Ali

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2017