What Israel has done in Gaza under the pretext of Hamas, Pakistan has replicated in Kashmir without any such pretext, the economic strangulation of the AJK population. An urgent appeal to the UN, the ICC, the OIC, the European Union, China, Russia, Arab League, African Union - UKJNews

What Israel has done in Gaza under the pretext of Hamas, Pakistan has replicated in Kashmir without any such pretext—by severing historic routes, dividing communities, and restricting movement across lands that were once seamlessly connected and using food items as the weapon of war and collective punishment. 

 

 

 

Before August 1947, the territories now known as Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan, and Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (IOK) formed a single, integrated Independent state of Jammu and Kashmir sharing its foreign relation with Crown in London. Travel, trade, and family ties flowed freely through traditional mountain corridors linking the western valleys to the central Kashmir plains and beyond. 

Major Historical Routes: 

1. Jhelum Valley Cart Road 

Ran from Rawalpindi/Murree (present-day Pakistan) through Kohala, Muzaffarabad, Domel, and Uri to Baramulla and Srinagar. 

 

This late-19th-century all-weather road served as the primary vehicular and postal link between the Kashmir Valley and the plains of British India. 

2. Poonch–Srinagar Routes (via Pir Panjal) 

Connected Poonch city directly to the Kashmir Valley. 

 

Travellers crossed ancient passes such as Haji Pir, Pir Panjal, or Tosa Maidan—routes used by Mughal caravans and later as vital cultural and economic arteries between the highlands and the valley. 

3. Mirpur–Nowshera–Jammu Route 

Linked Mirpur (now in AJK) through the foothills via Bhimber and Nowshera to Jammu, the winter capital. 

This was the main commercial and pilgrimage corridor for the southern Poonch-Mirpur districts. 

4. Kohala–Bagh–Poonch Track 

Connected the Jhelum Valley near Kohala to the interior of Poonch via Dhirkot and Bagh valleys. 

 

A key pedestrian and pack-animal route for local trade and social movement within the greater Poonch region. 

People in Gilgit-Baltistan continue to protest and demand the reopening of historic Silk Road-era routes to Ladakh and Srinagar for trade, tourism, and family reunions. Two notable examples: 

Skardu to Kargil Route: A direct 160–170 km all-weather link between Baltistan and Kargil—the shortest path between the regions—currently replaced by a 2,700 km detour. 

Astor to Srinagar Route: An ancient passage connecting the Astore Valley to the Kashmir Valley via high mountain passes. 

Reopening these traditional corridors would dramatically reduce travel times, revive local economies, and help heal the division of families and communities separated for decades. These routes represent not just geography, but a shared history for thousands of years that predates the 1947 partition.  

It is important to mentioned here that before 1947, anyone travelling from British India into the state of Jammu and Kashmir was required to carry an official entry permit or pass, which essentially acted as a visa.