Karakoram International University Karakoram International University Karakoram International University or Karakoram University (KIU; ) is an international level university in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It was established in 2002 with a charter from the Federal Government of Pakistan, with the goal of improving access to higher education for the deserved people of Gilgit-Baltistan. There are two faculties - Sciences, and Humanities and Social Sciences. A third faculty of Mountain Area Development Studies is still in the planning stage. The KIU has been chartered as a multi-campus institution, The campus, situated on University Road in Gilgit, is well-constructed; however, Skardu Campus was established in 2011 with
Gilgit-Baltistan Highway (KKH), which was completed in 1978. The Karakoram Highway connects Islamabad to Gilgit and Skardu, which are the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in Gilgit-Baltistan. The journey from Rawalpindi/Islamabad to Gilgit takes approximately 20 to 24 hours. Landslides on the Karakoram Highway are very common. The Karakoram Highway connects Gilgit to Tashkurgan Town, Kashgar, China via Sust, the customs and health-inspection post on the Gilgit-Baltistan side, and the Khunjerab Pass, the highest paved international border crossing in the world at . Northern Areas Transport Corporation (NATCO) offers bus and jeep transport service to the two hubs and several