terrain and the
lack of accessible roads. All of the roads to the south opened towards the
Pakistani-controlled state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and to the southeast
towards the present-day Indian-controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir. During
the summer, people could walk across the mountain passes to travel to
Rawalpindi. The fastest way to travel, however, was by air, but air travel was
accessible only to a few privileged local people and to Pakistani military and
civilian officials. Then, with the assistance of the Chinese government,
Pakistan began construction of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), which was completed
in 1978. The Karakoram Highway (KKH) connects Islamabad to Gilgit and Skardu,
which are the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in
Gilgit–Baltistan. The journey from Rawalpindi/Islamabad to Gilgit takes
approximately 20 to 24 hours. Landslides on the Karakoram Highway are very
common. The KKH connects Gilgit to Tashkurgan and Kashgar in China via Sust
(the customs and health inspection post on the Northern Areas side) and the Khunjerab
Pass, the highest paved international border crossing in the world at 4,693
metres (15,397 feet).
Northern Areas Transport Corporation (NATCO) offers bus and jeep transport service to the two hubs and
several other popular destinations, lakes, and glaciers in the area.
In March 2006, the respective
governments announced that, commencing
