GILGIT: The boundary dispute between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan remains unresolved as a jirga formed for the purpose has failed to break the impasse despite meeting several times during the last three months.

The jirga comprising elders from Harban valley of Kohistan in KP and Thore valley of Diamer district of GB was formed after a clash at the disputed place in February last year, which claimed lives of five people and injured 15 others.

The clash also led to deployment of Rangers and police at the eight kilometer stretch of the disputed territory at Gandlo Nala between Harban and Thore valleys by the federal government till settlement of the dispute

A police officer of Harban police station told Dawn that the GB and KP had been running the dispute for last many years.

He said that after the clash a summary was sent to the prime minister to constitute boundary commission to resolve the dispute, but the people from both sides opposed the commission and demanded that a jirga comprising elders from GB and KP should be formed to resolve the dispute.

Afterwards the KP and GB governments formed the jirga comprising 10 members each from Diamer and Kohistan to address the issue.

However, the jirga has failed to break the impasse despite meeting several times during the past three months, said Fazullah Faraq, a local journalist, while talking to Dawn.

The journalist said that while the people of Thore valley empowered the jirga to resolve both the land dispute and discontent caused by the clash, the people of Harban argued that they didn’t want the jirga to have any say on the land dispute.

However, Mr Faraq said the jirga members were hopeful that the coming meeting, scheduled to be held next month, would lead to amicable resolution of the dispute.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2014