Government to Upgrade 7 Key Roads in Gilgit-Baltistan

The federal government plans to upgrade seven key road links spanning 464 kilometers in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), as part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's tourism initiative. These roads will come under federal responsibility for construction, widening, rehabilitation, and maintenance. The identified routes include the 54km Astore-Chilim Chowki Road, the 31km Deosai-Skardu Road, the 100km Skardu-Khaplu Road, the 17km Skardu (Thorgu)-Shigar Road, the 36km Karakoram Highway-Naltar to Satrangi Lake Road, and two others - the 121km Thalichi-Astore-Rattu-Shounter Road and the 105km Gorikot-Shagarthang-Skardu Road.

The latter two are already under construction. The GB cabinet has approved the proposal, and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the federal and GB governments. However, approval from the federal cabinet is still pending. Once approved, the National Highways Authority (NHA) will be responsible for developing and maintaining all seven road links.

The federal government will fund the work, while the GB government currently bears the costs of maintenance, widening, and rehabilitation. The government also proposes introducing a toll tax for tourists visiting GB, while exempting local residents. The revenue generated from this toll could be used to finance improvements to the region's road network.