PogB [Pakistan] September 4 : Residents of flood-affected areas in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) have voiced deep frustration over government inaction as road closures continue to isolate entire communities.
According to Media Lens, for the past 15 days, people in Phandar and Yaseen have been cut off from essential supplies, with no relief in sight.
In a video shared by Media Lens on Facebook, a local transport driver stated the miserable situation, describing how travellers face exhausting journeys just to move between villages. "People wake up at 4 am, travel to Gupat, and get down with their luggage. Among them are elderly people, women, and the sick. We help them reach the block, then book a car for Rs. 6,000 to carry luggage along a dangerous mountain road to Dali Das. From there, we walk ourselves. There is no proper road; sometimes we have to jump down, sometimes climb up. This is our biggest problem," he said.
According to residents, hundreds of families are now at risk of starvation. "We are not directly affected by the floodwaters, but we are dying of hunger. There is no food, no oil, and patients cannot access treatment," one villager stated.
Locals criticised the slow pace of official relief work. "It has been 15 days since the flood, and only two bulldozers have been deployed to clear a nine-kilometre road. If work started from both sides, from above and below, the road could be opened in a week or even a month. But the government is doing nothing. Where are our ministers, the chief secretary, or even the Prime Minister's representatives?" residents asked.
The ongoing road blockade has left two entire districts, Phandar and Yaseen, in crisis. Community members warn that if the situation does not improve, they will escalate their protests. "If the government fails to act, we will not stop here. We will go to PoGB and raise our voices. People are hungry, dying without floodwaters, simply because the road remains closed. We appeal to the government: open this road within 10 or 20 days so people's suffering ends," the driver urged.