Kashmir Tensions Rise as Gilgit-Baltistan Protesters Block Key CPEC Highway
Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir: In the towering and windswept mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan, hundreds of local families have brought one of the world’s most strategic highways to a complete halt, as protests against the Diamer-Bhasha Dam entered their fifth consecutive day, according to Dawn News.
The demonstrators, many of them families directly affected by the massive hydroelectric project, have blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH) at several locations in Diamer district. The road, which serves as the only overland route connecting Pakistan with China, is widely seen as the backbone of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
For days, the usually busy mountain highway has turned into a scene of quiet resistance. Long lines of stranded vehicles now stretch through the narrow valleys, while thousands of passengers remain stuck, facing uncertainty, exhaustion, and growing frustration.
The protesters are part of a movement called “Ensure Rights, Then Build the Dam.” They accuse the federal government of failing to fulfil a 31-point agreement signed last year after earlier rounds of negotiations and protests.
According to protest leaders, the agreement had promised fair compensation for nearly 18,000 acres of land lost to the dam project. It also included financial support for thousands of affected families, regular employment opportunities for local residents, affordable electricity from the future dam, and a fair share in royalty payments for Gilgit-Baltistan.
On Sunday, the protest movement gathered further momentum as residents from nearby valleys attempted to join the main sit-in. Security forces reportedly blocked parts of the highway to stop additional crowds from reaching the protest site. In response, demonstrators occupied other stretches of the road, expanding the blockade.
Organisers have now issued a stern warning, saying that if their demands are not met soon, they will begin a long march toward the dam construction site itself.
Despite rising tensions, the protesters have remained calm but firm. They insist that the entire district supports their cause and have declared that there is “no way back” until every promise made by the government is honoured.
The standoff now casts a shadow over the future of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, a flagship project intended to help ease Pakistan’s energy crisis and strengthen economic ties under CPEC.
As evening falls over the snow-covered peaks, the blocked highway stands as a powerful symbol of a deeper truth: even the grandest development projects must answer to the people whose lives and lands they transform.
