Naiknaam Karim reports heavy snow at Khunjerab Pass leaves travelers stranded

Heavy snowfall and rain continued to cause hardships for residents of Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday, leaving a large number of passengers, tourists, vehicles, and cargo containers stranded at Khunjerab Pass on the Pakistan-China border.

According to a GB police spokesperson, heavy snowfall continued from Dhee Headquarters to Khunjerab Top, making the road hazardous for travel. The accumulation of snow left dozens of containers carrying imported goods from China stranded for hours.

Several vehicles skidded on the slippery Karakoram Highway (KKH). This included three containers whose drivers were rescued safely. A Chinese cargo container also overturned after skidding; local travelers and personnel of the Khunjerab Security Police launched a rescue operation and safely pulled the driver out of the vehicle, who remained unhurt.

Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Minister Naiknaam Karim was among the stranded passengers. In a video message, Karim expressed concern over the lack of facilities and machinery to clear snow on the Pakistani side. He noted that while the Chinese side of the border had been cleared, the Pakistani side remained covered with approximately four inches of snow and ice.

"However, after entering the Pakistani side, we found the road at Khunjerab Top covered with approximately four inches of snow and ice. Several vehicles, including two to three cars, have skidded due to slippery road conditions," Karim said in the video message.

Karim urged the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) to immediately deploy snow-clearing machinery to prevent further accidents. Stranded passengers criticized the authorities and relevant organizations for failing to start clearing the road despite worsening conditions. Some passengers noted that the area, situated at an altitude of over 15,000 feet, posed additional difficulties due to the risk of oxygen shortage.

GB police advised tourists and motorists to avoid unnecessary travel toward Khunjerab until conditions improved and urged travelers to contact the police helpline at 15 for road updates.

Separately, the Ghizer-Shandur Road was completely blocked to all types of traffic following a landslide at Hopper Pari after heavy rain on Thursday night.