TIMERGARA: The land settlement dispute in Lower Dir intensified on Wednesday as several Jandol tribes also claimed ownership of the land and demanded of the government to allot it to its real owners.

In this regard, former employees of the ex-Dir state have already set up a camp near the office of deputy commissioner in Timergara and their protest continued for the fifth consecutive day. They are also claiming ownership of the land, which according to the residents is stretched over 3,200 acres.

The dispute has been under trial for decades and the case was decided last time by the Peshawar High Court in favour of Shahabuddin Khan, one of the sons of late Nawab of Dir state. The district administration has filed an appeal against this decision in the Supreme Court. The administration has recently banned construction on the disputed land.

On Wednesday, elders of several tribes under the banner of Qaumi Ittehad Aqwam-i-Jandol told a press conference in Timergara Press Club that they were the actual owners of the land. The elders, including advocate Ghufran Ahad, Maulana Ziaul Haq and others said that their tribes were the ancient residents of Jandol sub-division. They said that ex-state employees did not belong to Jandol and they had migrated here from other parts of the district. The Awqam elders claimed that the former Nawab of Dir Shah Jehan Khan had grabbed their land and the ancient Jandol tribes were its real owners.

Later, scores of the elders held a protest rally and demanded of the government to hand over the land to its real owners. Sarbiland Khan, general secretary of the ex-state employees, said the protesters’ leaders along with local lawmakers would soon meet the chief minister in Peshawar to find out a solution to the matter.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2018