Window to Gilgit-Baltistan

By  Syed Shamsuddin   Read part - 2 BEFORE CONCLUDING the instant write-up, it pertinent to advert to very interesting piece appearing recently in a regional Urdu daily (Daily Salam dated 30.09.2019) whereby the learned writer Nabi Wani, depicted the traffic scenarios obtaining in Gilgit-Baltistan. He aptly portrayed the situation rather in a succinct manner which may well be evocative of the interest of the readers as well as in bringing it home to those at the helm of affairs. Tersely putting it, he says it is not the very first road crash on the Babusar road and the KKH but that several such incidents have taken place so far. It seems to him that the transport companies have been issued licenses which become open-ended in the sense that with the exception of a very few, all of them own obsolete, worn out and for that matter, technically or mechanically unfit vehicles not worthy of being made on the road. Moreover, the drivers employed by them demonstrably are not tha...

By  Syed Shamsuddin Read part - 1 As against this, a precise summation of the scenario across Pakistan is termed as horrific. In this connection, it is pertinent to refer to a seminar on road safety measures at Karachi University (KU) early this year, to take stock of the situation. The dean of civil and petroleum engineering faculty at NED University was referred to as saying there were three major factors behind  road accidents. He said that 67% of the accidents become outrightly attributable to human errors, 28% to poor infrastructure and deteriorating condition of roads and 5% to unfit vehicles. It was concluded that there was a dire need to improve road infrastructure emphasizing that if one considers all relevant components while constructing roads, the number of accidents would reduce. Hailing the research being conducted at the varsity, the participants of the seminar underscored its continuity in order to create awareness and to provide relief to peo...

By  Syed Shamsuddin HORRIFICALLY IMPACTFUL it is, the heart-rending Gitidas tragedy occurring near Babusar Pass,Chilas, gruesomely filled the horizon here  with tremendous shock and gloom and as such caused nagging pain for the entire society  to such an extent that beggars description. The enormity of the this road crash becomes well discernible from the fact that the death toll is put at 24, including children and ten soldiers ,died on the spot while many others on board the ill-fated coach critically injured. Given its intensity, the gory crash came like a tremor rattling the entire area to put it succinctly. Reports say there were 37 passengers were on board the coach at the time the blood-curdling happening. It is said that the coach collided head-on, with the cliff skirting the road. As soon as the news of the hair-tingling incident spread, rescue teams rushed to the spot. The injured and the dead were immediately shifted to the nearest hospital where me...