When Roads Close, Hope Must Travel – The Final Convoy to Gurez

The Last Journey Before the Snow

My name is Imran Shah, and I’ve driven these mountain roads for nearly a decade.
Every winter, the same ritual unfolds — we load the trucks in Muzaffarabad, pray together at dawn, and drive north into the white silence.

But this year feels different. The snowfall came early, heavy and relentless. The road to Gurez Valley, the most remote part of Upper Neelum, will soon disappear under metres of snow. Once it does, the villages there will be cut off until spring.

And so, this is our final convoy — the last chance to deliver warmth before the mountains close their doors.

The Convoy Moves

It’s 4:30 a.m. The city still sleeps as we tie down tarpaulin sheets, check brakes, and whisper silent duas. Each truck carries hundreds of winter packs: blankets, coats, and firewood vouchers funded by donors from the UK.

I run my hand along the side of my vehicle — the paint is scratched from last couple of years of frozen missions, but to me it’s a badge of honour.

By sunrise, we cross Chilyana, climbing higher with every turn. The tyres grip the ice like a lifeline, and the valley stretches below us — silent, white, endless. On one side, cliffs rise like walls of glass. On the other, the drop disappears into mist.

“Every mile we drive could be the difference between warmth and frost,”
I tell my partner, Younis, as the radio crackles with static.

A Valley Waiting

By midday, we reach Athmuqam, where the mountains turn sharper and the sky feels closer. I see smoke from scattered homes curling weakly into the grey air. Families have gathered by the roadside, waving as our trucks appear.

One man steps forward — Rashid Khan, whom I’ve known from last year’s trip. He lost most of his firewood to dampness. His daughter, Amina, now wears the same red coat we brought twelve months ago.

He smiles faintly.

“You came before the roads closed,” he says, gripping my hand.
“We were beginning to think we’d been forgotten.”

Moments like that remind me why I keep driving when everything in me says to stop.

The Road Narrows

Beyond Sharda, the world begins to vanish. Snow thickens; tyres spin. We switch to low gear and inch forward, guided only by memory and the fading tyre tracks ahead.

The Gurez Pass lies 100 kilometres away — one of the most treacherous stretches in Azad Kashmir. Avalanches here can strike without warning.

The AJ&K Disaster Management Authority (2024) recorded more than 40 road-blocking avalanches in the Neelum belt last winter. Yet, this is where the Kashmir Welfare Foundation must pass — because beyond these peaks, more than 1,500 families still wait.

Carrying More Than Cargo

Every box we carry bears a label: Winter Campaign – Donated by Families in the UK. I often read those labels aloud, reminding myself that each name — from Birmingham, Bradford, Luton — represents someone who cared enough to send help into a place they may never see.

One donor’s note, taped to a parcel, said: “For a child who deserves to sleep warm.”
It’s small things like this that keep us going through the frost and fatigue.

“When people in the UK give, they’re not sending charity — they’re sending love,”
Younis says as we refuel in the cold wind. “And love travels farthest when the roads are hardest.”

❄️ Donate Now – Keep Families Warm

The Avalanche Turn

Near Surgan, the radio goes silent — no signal. The snow begins to fall again.
We hear a deep crack echo from the ridge above. Younis yells, “Avalanche! Go!”

For a terrifying minute, the sky turns white. We can’t see a thing.
I grip the steering wheel and pray, reciting Ayat-ul-Kursi as the engine roars.
The sound fades. The snow settles. We’re safe — this time.

Later, when we finally stop, Younis mutters,

“If we’d been a minute slower, this road would have closed forever.”

And he’s right. The route behind us now lies buried under a fresh layer of snow.
There is no turning back — only forward.

Arrival in Gurez

By the time we reach Gurez Valley, it’s dusk. The light glows golden against the snow peaks, and children run barefoot to meet us, shouting “Uncle, the trucks are here!”

We unload fast. Blankets, coats, firewood tokens, food parcels.
Mothers clutch them close. Men help without words, eyes full of relief.

One woman, wrapped in a shawl, says softly,

“You came just in time. The snow is already at our doors.”

I can’t explain the feeling — exhaustion, gratitude, purpose — all at once.
In those few minutes, every mile, every frozen turn, every fear was worth it.

What the Data Tells Us

According to the AJ&K Bureau of Statistics (2024):

• Over 70% of households in the Gurez–Upper Neelum corridor experience winter isolation for 12-15 weeks annually.
• Average January temperatures fall between –10 °C and –14 °C.
• Access roads are open for only 90 days each year.

Without early winter convoys, aid can’t reach for months — leaving families to burn shrubs, straw, or even old furniture for warmth.

That’s why these final convoys are lifelines, not logistics.

“Every year, our teams race against time to reach Gurez before the mountains shut.
These journeys are dangerous — but they carry the prayers of thousands of donors who trust us to deliver hope where it’s needed most.
When you give, you’re not just donating — you’re keeping the road to mercy open.”
— Abdul Basit, Trustee, Kashmir Welfare Foundation

How Your Donation Helps

Your generosity powers everything that moves in this mission.

In one truck, we can fit stock in for hundreds of people in need.

Each donation doesn’t just travel in pounds — it travels in prayers, in wheels, and in warmth.

If you’re a UK taxpayer, tick Gift Aid when donating.
That single tick adds 25% more to your gift — the equivalent of extra miles travelled or extra blankets carried.

£100 becomes £125 — enough to protect two more families in the deep freeze.

The Final Ascent

We finish unloading as night falls. The wind howls through the valley like an old song.
The locals wave as we start our descent, headlights cutting through the white.

In the rear-view mirror, I see the faint orange glow of stoves being lit — proof that warmth has arrived.

“The road will close by morning,” Younis says quietly.
I nod. “Then we made it just in time.”

Why Give Now

Once snow seals Gurez, there’s no access until spring. That’s three months of silence — three months when no aid can pass, and no truck can climb.

The clock is ticking. The snow is falling. But your kindness can still move before the mountains sleep.

A Message to Our Donors

To every supporter in the UK — every family that gave Sadaqah, every child who donated their pocket money — know this: your compassion travelled hundreds of miles through wind and snow to reach the heart of Kashmir.

We, the volunteers, are only the wheels. You are the reason the convoy keeps moving.

FAQs

1. What is the Final Convoy to Gurez?
It’s the last aid delivery before heavy snow seals off the Upper Neelum and Gurez region until spring.

2. When do the roads close?
Typically by 5–7 January, depending on snowfall. After that, access is impossible until March.

3. How does my donation help?
Your donation funds winter packs, blankets, heating fuel, and transport for isolated families.

4. Can I sponsor a convoy truck?
Yes, whilst we don't have an option for this on our donation screen, you can select a custom amount and leave notes if you prefer to sponsor a whole truck. The estimated amount for this is around £3,500.

5. How will I see updates?
Convoy updates and impact stories are posted on our blogs.