Dwarf Pomegranate

Have a question regarding Dwarf Pomegranate that I have in training. The upper branches of mine died off but the trunk is still alive all the way up to the top. The ONLY branches now coming off the tree are suckers at the base. If I cut back the suckers, will that encourage budding higher up on the trunk? I’m concerned that cutting off all the branches will kill the tree before new buds set in. The suckers are growing vigorously, so I think the tree is overall healthy, just with no branches growing above the base. Any advice is much appreciated!

i would cut the suckers back to 2 leaves to try to drive the growth further up. I have one that dried out, lost a bunch of leaves, and regrew, but I don't think it quite as far along the path of losing the upper part as yours.