Impact of Karakoram Highway on the Education and Health Development of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan (original) (raw)

2020, Review of Economics and Development Studies

Education is the soul of a society. It is a long term investment by a state to develop its human capital. Those countries which invested heavily in human development are reaping the benefits. Education and health as indicators of human development are of utmost importance. Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in the extreme north of Pakistan is a mountainous area. Before the construction of Karakoram Highway (KKH), their status of education and health was extremely miserable. Only 3 middle and 80 primary schools were available in the entire area of Gilgit-Baltistan. Similarly, 2 hospitals and 10 small dispensaries were available in the health sector. Therefore, this study is an effort to evaluate the impact of KKH on education and health development of Gilgit-Baltistan. Results show a significant change and development, especially in the education sector. However, in the health sector, there is an intense need for more investment. As the area of Gilgit-Baltistan is vast and scattered, the people f...