Heavy snowfall closes Babusar Pass, blocks roads across Kaghan and Gilgit-Baltistan

GILGIT: Fresh snowfall across Kaghan Valley and Gilgit-Baltistan has brought life to a standstill. Two feet of snow has fallen at Babusar Top, and the authorities have temporarily closed Babusar Pass to all traffic.

On the orders of the Diamer district police officer, the pass was shut because of heavy snowfall at Babusar Top. Passengers and tourists have been advised to use the Karakoram Highway instead, avoid unnecessary travel, and call the police helpline 15 before setting out to check the latest road conditions. Up to a foot of snow was recorded at Batakundi, Beser and Jalkhad.

Second day of snow in Kaghan

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the mountainous parts of Hazara division received heavy snowfall for a second consecutive day on Thursday, while rain in the low-lying areas pushed the mercury further down. The Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road remained closed to all types of traffic beyond Batakundi for a second day, and landslides blocked link roads connecting dozens of villages with the main arteries.

Five oil tankers carrying fuel from Rawalpindi to Gilgit-Baltistan have been stranded near Babusar Top for the last two days. Police said the tankers were not on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa side of the border and were probably stranded on the Gilgit-Baltistan side. District Police Officer Mohammad Waqas Khan said the two checkposts at Gattidas and Bassal in Upper Kaghan had been closed for the winter season for the safety of tourists travelling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Power outages add to the hardship in Gilgit-Baltistan

Intermittent snowfall was reported on Thursday in the upper areas of Gilgit, Diamer, Ghizer, Astore, Skardu, Hunza, Nagar, Khar-mang, Shigar and Ghanche. Temperatures in the upper areas have dropped to zero degrees Celsius, and prolonged power outages have added to the hardships of residents. Shimshal Road has been closed to all traffic after a landslide at Wain Bain, cutting Upper Hunza off from the rest of the country.

In Swabi, meanwhile, severe hailstorms damaged potato, sugarcane and bean crops in parts of Chota Lahor and Tordher, at a stage when the potato crop was critical and beans were near harvesting. In Bajaur, moderate rain ended a prolonged dry spell, and snow fell on the famous Kohi Moor mountain, turning the weather colder.

The Meteorological Department expects the spell of rain in the plains and snowfall over the mountains to continue intermittently for two more days. Tourists heading for Naran have been advised not to travel further up the valley without checking the latest weather, although hoteliers say hotels and eateries will keep welcoming visitors until the valley closes completely for the winter.