Tragic Plight: Remote Pakistani Villages Suffer Due to Nonexistent Medical and Educational Facilities

Several lives have been lost in remote villages of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan due to lack of road access and medical infrastructure, reports Markhor Times. Education and deforestation also compound the residents' woes, leaving them in dire conditions and fearful of government retaliation.

Several lives have been lost in remote villages of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB) due to the absence of road access and medical infrastructure, according to a report by the local media outlet Markhor Times. The local village head reported that numerous lives have been lost due to the lack of medical facilities.

'Our community has been here for over 100 years and we have seen many lives lost because of the absence of medical facilities. We barely manage with wooden stretchers, and sometimes are forced to carry pregnant women. Often, either the mother or the child does not survive,' said the village head, as quoted by Markhor Times. 'We also have to carry injured individuals on these makeshift stretchers, and many have lost their lives in transit. The only medical personnel available visit once every two to three months, and we manage to pay their expenses through community donations,' he added.

Another resident highlighted that medical infrastructure is just one part of the problem, emphasizing that education is also a significant concern. 'We have very limited educational infrastructure. There is a small school several kilometers away with just one struggling teacher. He is doing his best with the limited resources available,' the resident told Markhor Times.

In another report by Markhor Times, a local resident expressed frustration over the lack of governmental assistance. 'The government is doing nothing for our valley. We have not seen any officials here, and we receive no assistance from the local government. Affording even one meal a day has become difficult. Furthermore, deforestation is rampant and when we protest, we are threatened with imprisonment,' the resident said. 'There is no dispensary, and the poor condition of roads creates numerous problems for us,' he added.

(With inputs from agencies.)