the pamir highway in 7 days

Driving in the Pamir’s can be a bit of an interesting ride, steep inclines, few guard rails, road hogging trucks and/or old Soviet era buses. The farther you travel from Dushanbe, the less asphalt and less maintained the roads. Sections can be rather rough, mostly damaged by rushing water or falling boulders. There are few gasoline stations, but, in a pinch, locals do sell gasoline in 1 liter former soft drink plastic bottles. If you are traveling by car, versus the bus, you may do better in a Lada than a Mercedes.
There are local eateries here and there often along a river’s edge some with raised covered (shaded) areas to enjoy your meal. One thing though, Don’t travel at night.
On average I found the Tajiks a rather friendly gentle people and usually very curious. If possible, fly to Dushanbe via Alma-Ata. More flights, and you may be lucky and hook an Airbus or Boeing.